


When the Floodwater Comes

by yourfavoritetsundre



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Depression, Friends to Lovers, Homecoming, M/M, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Siblings, References to David Bowie, Sibling Bonding, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-06-30
Updated: 2018-08-09
Packaged: 2019-05-31 03:06:41
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 12
Words: 74,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15110534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/yourfavoritetsundre/pseuds/yourfavoritetsundre
Summary: Keith had dreams of his future. Ones where he felt loved and comfortable. But they always ended before he could figure out who made him feel that way. And how could he dare to hope for a happy future in the middle of a war?Meanwhile, Lance struggles to reconcile everything that has happened with the person his family and even friends expect him to be. Keith's starting to see raw sides of the paladin that are usually kept buried, sides that worry him but also remind him what they're actually fighting to protect.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Post season six. Enjoy. :)
> 
> More notes at the end.

**Keith touched down on a sandy beach. Heavy black smoke floated across the sand, choking him as he ripped off his helmet.**

 

**“LANCE!”**

 

**Everything was hot, and somewhere another building collapsed. Keith stepped on a wooden board and looked down to see a burnt out sign.**

 

**“LANCE!”**

 

**“I FOUND HIM! FOUND HIM!”**

 

**Keith sprinted through the smoke and hoisted himself up onto the boardwalk. Everything was on fire as he dove between the buildings to the back streets, and ran, his lungs working overtime to find clean air. He went back two blocks of ruins before he found the Blue Paladin kneeling in the street with Hunk standing over him.**

 

**Lance was howling in pain.**

 

~*~

 

It would take them a full month to get home. 

 

There was no wormhole, no easy way to do it. It would be a month of hyperspace jumps and praying that no one followed them back to Earth. It didn’t help that they had to take two ships in addition to the Lions - filled with supplies and the squadron Matt Holt led. It didn’t help that they had to stop and drop Romelle off to obtain her own ship to get back to New Altea, so she could try to lead a revolt against whatever was left of Lotor’s cronies. It didn’t help that they had to plot a crazy course in order to shake anyone who might follow. It didn’t help that they might have to stop to save the day on the way. 

 

It was a long trip home. 

 

“I spy with my little eye…”

 

“I swear, if it’s another planet that you’ve named after Star Wars - “

 

“Look, I’m just trying to keep us all sharp. Do you have any other suggestions?” 

 

“What are you doing when we get home?” 

 

This was a game they all played for a long time. Keith never used to play. He honestly thought it was ridiculous. He remembered how at first the responses were so open and raw and honest. 

 

Give Mom a hug. Give Iverson a big fat told you so. Eat ice cream. Get some new clothes. 

 

Then the responses started to change. After a while, going home seemed like something that would never actually happen. So the responses got wild and funny. And that was when Keith started to play. 

 

Flip Iverson’s desk. Hack that-idiot-who-stole-my-crayon-in-kindergarten’s phone. Use Altean technology to rid the planet of pineapple pizza once and for all. Use Altean technology to save all of the world’s pineapple pizza. 

 

The responses were still funny. Hurtling through space, all the comms open as the Lions flew in formation around the two ships, Shiro flying one and Matt at the helm of the other. Pidge hadn’t been able to make another fully operational prosthetic for Shiro, so he had to settle for an immovable one for the time being.

 

“I am probably going to get my ass kicked.” Matt sighed. “Pidge, tell them I was a great brother and warrior.”

 

“You were not a great brother, doofus, and an even worse warrior.” 

 

“Why will you get your ass kicked?” Hunk asked. 

 

“I missed my annual DnD conference. I was one of the better DMs and nerds are not forgiving.”

 

“What’s Dee-en-dee?” Coran asked. 

 

“It’s a role-playing game.” Hunk supplied. “Like your Monsters and Mana game.” 

 

“Really?” Coran’s expression brightened considerably. “You’ll have to show me this game, Matt.” 

 

“Sure. We have a lot of different games like that on Earth. Shiro used to play too.” 

 

The comms were so silent you could have heard a pin drop. 

 

Then a wicked grin spread across Lance’s face. “Oh, really?” 

 

“Matthew Holt, you are dead to me.” Shiro said flatly. 

 

“You never told them?” Matt snorted. “All this time, Shirogane. And they don’t even know you.” 

 

“I played with you once!” Shiro was shouting, his now crisp white hair a stark contrast from his almost childish outburst. “And I was so drunk, I barely remember anything.”

 

“Why are you making this sound like a one night stand, Shiro? Just a little DnD between bros.”  

 

Keith was smiling slightly, half listening to the laughs and taunts that were thrown back and forth across the vacuum. He forgot how noisy and comfortable this all was. 

 

But something was off. He couldn’t put his finger on it. Something was wrong with the small family. How much damage had the fake Shiro managed to do?

 

The banter continued, but soon everyone started drifting off as autopilot took over. Keith had volunteered to take the first watch, so he sat up while everyone else fell asleep. They were in the habit of keeping the comms open at all times, just because it made everyone feel a little safer. 

 

Keith directed Black in a large circle around the group, then fell back into formation. He glanced at the group’s vitals, then settled in. Krolia was on Matt’s supply ship - there was just more space. She’d probably join him again next time they stopped on a planet. 

 

Over the comms, he heard Matt snoring lightly, and Allura settling in to sleep with the mice on the floor of Blue. Someone was humming softly. 

 

“Lance? You still up?” 

 

“Oh, hey Keith.”

 

Lance’s face popped up on the video feed, but he wasn’t looking at Keith. He looked exhausted, deep bags under his eyes.  

 

“Why are you still up?” 

 

He shrugged. “Can’t sleep.”

 

Keith hesitated, not sure how to continue the conversation. Two years had only been a few months for Lance. He probably didn’t miss him the way Keith had. It took Keith a while to admit he had even missed him in the first place. 

 

If he was pressed, and Shiro had pressed, he’d say that Lance was probably his best friend. He’d never really had a best friend before, but Lance seemed to cover all the bases. It had taken a long time for him to realize that. The initial thoughts about how cute he was - he was emotionally stunted not blind. Those gave way to how insufferably annoying, loud, ridiculously over the top he was. But trapped on a spaceship fighting a war meant he had to get to know Lance, and see that a lot of that was just a cover for a million insecurities. 

 

“So, what’s with Ziggy Stardust?” 

 

“Who?” 

 

“The space dog.” 

 

“His name is not Ziggy Stardust. It’s - “

 

“Whatever you came up with, I guarantee Ziggy Stardust is better. Besides, he’s blue so as defender of all things Blue, I get some say in the name.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. Maybe he didn’t miss the Blue Paladin that much. 

 

“You can’t just change his name after two years, Lance.”

 

“Agree to disagree.” 

 

Lance still looked exhausted, but at least he was smiling as he got Keith wound up. 

 

“How have you been?” Lance asked. “Really. Like, finding your mom. Must have been amazing.” 

 

“Yeah. She’s really...not what I expected.” 

 

“Yeah, I at least expected your scowl.”

 

Keith granted him with a scowl and Lance smiled. 

 

“What was it like on the back of the...whale thing?” 

 

Keith had already told his story once, but it was just summary. 

 

“It was...weird, honestly. Like, getting to know Mom was great. Probably couldn’t have happened a better way. But it was a really long time and...time was all distorted and we kept getting flashes of the past and the future. Sort of made it easier.”

 

“How?”

 

“I didn’t have to tell her how crappy things were after Dad died. Or about how Shiro took me in. And I got to know a lot about her, too. Galra live for a long time so there was a lot of her life to see.” Keith sighed and looked at the ceiling. “But I missed all of you.”

 

“Look at you, bit of time with Mom and you go all sentimental on us.” 

 

Keith shook his head and took Black for another loop around the group. 

 

“So, you saw the future too?” 

 

Keith glanced at Lance’s expectant face warily. “A bit.”

 

“Anything good?”

 

“Well, I saw Shiro turning - “

 

“Not that. Come on! Something good! Your future husband? On a beach somewhere, kids pissing you off?”

 

Keith looked away as he rejoined the formation again. “Nothing like that. Like I said, Mom’s had a long life. There was a lot of her past.”

 

“Hm. Shame.”

 

“Besides, I’m not really a kids person.”

 

“Everyone is a kids person, Keith. The only reason you think you aren’t a kids person is because you think you’ll break them.”

 

Keith couldn’t bring himself to look at Lance, incase he found the lie. 

 

Lance yawned. “Maybe I am getting tired.” 

 

“Get some sleep.”

 

“I will. Soon.”

 

“Hey. You alright?” 

 

Lance straightened up for a second. “Yeah. Why wouldn’t I be?” 

 

“I...just, making sure.” 

 

“I’m fine...what are you doing when we get home?” 

 

Keith knew this time a serious answer was required. 

 

“I’m not sure.” he admitted. “Probably just...help the Earth prepare.”

 

“Yeah. Well, we all are. Like, you, Keith Kogane, what are you going to do?”

 

He hesitated. “Take Mom to see Dad’s grave. I think...I haven’t been in a long time and I think I was waiting for her to go back.” 

 

“Hmm.”

 

“What about you?” 

 

“I don’t know. I spent so long wanting it, but now we’re actually going home and I don’t even know what to do.” He paused. “Although, eating some tamales is pretty high up on the list.”

 

Keith smiled.

 

“I think I’m going to sleep for a bit. Wake me up for next watch.”

 

“Hunk said - “

 

“Just wake me up.”

 

The image winked out, but the comm line was still open, as always. Lance was silent, but there were the sounds of him shuffling around to settle into sleep. Keith settled into his chair again, scanning the empty space around him. 

 

The future can change, he told himself. There’s a good chance that nothing he saw would come true. 

 

Lance could never know the truth.

 

Keith glanced down at his ring finger and snorted, then looked away. Leave it to Lance…

 

~*~

 

What was it? What was the thing that was broken? 

 

Keith couldn’t put his finger on it. It was like a silence in the chatter. A hurt in the happiness. A cry on a bright, sunny day. 

 

They had stopped off at a planet to restock and stretch their legs. Krolia had asked Lance to spar with her, which first made everyone nervous but Lance smiled widely and faced her, Red bayard shooting out into a broadsword. When did he get that? Even without the new weapon, Keith could tell he was stronger and more agile. Every time he made a mistake, Krolia patiently pointed it out. 

 

“He’s improved a lot.” Keith muttered. 

 

Allura looked over at the match, and then looked away. “He’s been practicing.” 

 

“Something wrong?” 

 

“What? No.” The princess shook her head firmly. “No. Not at all.” 

 

“Right.” 

 

Allura turned away from him and headed to where Coran and Shiro were haggling with local traders. The sparring was drawing a small crowd and Keith stepped closer to the edge. Krolia helped Lance up off the ground. 

 

“Very good.” she praised. “We’ll make a swordsman of you yet.” 

 

Lance grinned. “It’s fun. But I think I’ll stick to my blaster.” 

 

Krolia glanced back at her son. “You should spar with Keith.” 

 

Lance laughed. “No, no, I already know that ends with me on the ground.”

 

“You’re better matched than you think.” 

 

“Why not?” Hunk asked. “You two used to spar all the time.” 

 

That was true. It started as forced joint sessions by Shiro so that they wouldn’t get everyone else killed on a mission. Soon, Lance was seeking Keith out to train together on their own. It was the foundation of their friendship. 

 

Lance looked over at Keith. “Well…”

 

“Come on, Lance.” Keith smirked, stepping forward. “Can’t allow my right hand to be rusty.” 

 

Lance smirked, a familiar glint returning to his eyes. “I’m not the one who was on vacation for two years.” 

 

Keith’s bayard materialized in his hand, and the crowd backed up to give them more room. Shiro turned around, looking ready to reprimand the two boys for fighting. Again. But Coran rested a hand on his shoulder as they each stood ready. 

 

“Come on, Blue. Let’s see what you’ve got.” 

 

Lance launched himself at Keith, grinning wide as he swung. 

 

~*~

 

“He’s not what you described.” 

 

Keith paused and looked back at his mother, his hands frozen in the process of cleaning dust off his armour. She was sitting on the floor to brush out the cosmic wolf’s coat. 

 

“Who?”

 

“Lance. He’s nothing like what you said.”

 

Keith shrugged and continued cleaning. “He has grown up a lot. Finally.”

 

“He actually reminds me a lot of your father.” 

 

Keith’s surprise caught his breath in his throat, practically choking him. “What?” he sputtered. “Lance is nothing like Dad.”

 

“Really?” Krolia studied her son with glimmering purple eyes. “When I look at him, I see someone who is brave, and kind, and loyal. Almost to a fault.” 

 

Keith considered, looking out the windows of the lion. “I guess.” He checked the time. “We need to get back in the air. Are you staying with me?”

 

“Yes, I think so.” 

 

Keith turned on the comm line. “Team Voltron, come in.” 

 

“Hey, Kogane, trying to schedule a rematch already?” 

 

Keith turned around and scowled pointedly at his mother. She smiled slightly and shrugged. 

 

“You won one match out of ten, Lance.” 

 

“Yeah, but it was the last match. Counts as more points.” 

 

“Do you just make the rules up as you go or…” 

 

“No, I actively change them to upset you.” 

 

Keith sighed and shook his head. “Right. Team Voltron, please respond.” 

 

“We’re here.” Hunk said, sitting up straighter. “We were just enjoying the show.”

 

“Everything ready to go?” 

 

“Just about. Matt’s just finishing loading the emergency packs.” 

 

“Great.” Keith sat back. “We’re gonna be flying for two quintets, according to the course Coran plotted. When we get to the Erubous system we’ll try to find a quiet planet to land on and rest for a bit.” 

 

“If anyone has to go to the bathroom, now’s the time.” Pidge mocked. 

 

“Oh no!” Allura gasped. “I don’t have any seeds for the mice!” 

 

“Allura, we don’t have time for this - “

 

“I’ll just be two dobashes!” 

 

~*~

 

Keith was dreaming. 

 

He had a lot of dreams lately, about the future memories he had seen. In this one, he sat on a front porch with Shiro, watching a thunderstorm. 

 

“I just don’t understand how this happened.” Keith groaned. 

 

Shiro snorted and smiled. “I’m happy for you.”

 

“Don’t be. I’m not. Why didn’t you stop this from happening?”

 

“I thought it had already. I thought you were just being your normal self and pretending you don’t have feelings.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. 

 

“AAAAHHHHH!”

 

Keith jolted awake and grabbed at the controls. The cosmic wolf that had been acting as his blanket teleported off his legs and onto Krolia’s lap. 

 

“What’s going on?” he demanded.

 

Voices filled the comms, worried and sleepy. 

 

“Sorry, everyone.” Lance finally said in a small voice. “That was me.”

 

“What happened?” Coran asked. 

 

“Just a bad dream. Sorry. It won’t happen again.”

 

“Seriously?” Pidge snapped. 

 

Lance stared at her for a moment, then snapped off his comm line.

 

“Lance? Buddy?” Hunk tried. “Guys, he’s not picking up.”

 

“Back off, Pidge.” Keith growled. “Don’t act like you’ve never had a nightmare.” 

 

“Shouldn’t you be patrolling?” Shiro asked her pointedly. 

 

She threw Keith a nasty look and turned off her own comms. Keith watched the Green Lion swoop in front of his windows. 

 

“What the hell is going on with you people?” Keith exploded. 

 

“What do you mean?” Allura asked. 

 

“Since when does Lance just let Pidge walk all over him like that? And Hunk, you let her?”

 

“I - “

 

“Maybe we should turn off the group comm for tonight.” Shiro said quietly. “Everyone, go back to sleep. Keith, I’d like to talk to you for a minute.”

 

One by one, the comm lines ended. Krolia shuffled forward and touched her son’s shoulder, then exchanged a look on the screen with Shiro. Then she went back to the pile of blankets she had been sleeping on. The blue wolf stretched out next to her. 

 

“I understand that you’re worried about Lance.” Shiro said in a low voice. “But you can’t yell at Pidge like that. Or Hunk.” 

 

“But - “

 

“You’re their leader. You can’t take sides like that.”

 

“They’re being complete assholes to him!”

 

“I know. I’m worried about it too.” Shiro frowned. “And you’re right. Lance is letting them walk all over him.”

 

“Why haven’t you - “

 

“Because he won’t talk to me, Keith.” Shiro said impatiently. “I’ve done just as much damage.” 

 

“That wasn’t you!” 

 

“I know that, and he knows that, but he still walks around flinching every time I ask for his opinion like a beaten dog.” Shiro was angry and frustrated. “I don’t know the full details of what happened when I was dead. And I don’t know how it got this bad. What I do know is that you’re the only one he’s been talking to lately.” 

 

“How - “

 

“I woke up the other night and heard you two talking.” Shiro sighed. 

 

“Spy.”

 

“Shut up. I thought you were arguing again, at first. I always knew you’d be friends once you got over yourselves.” Shiro rubbed his temples. 

 

Keith scowled. 

 

“Keith, remember that conversation we had a long time ago about how Lance always has your back?”

 

“Vaguely.”

 

“And we talked about how for you, you knew any time you needed a distraction you could find Lance because if nothing else he knew how to pull you out of your head.”

 

“No.”

 

Shiro frowned. “Pretty sure we had that conversation. Well, point is, right now Lance needs someone. And you’re probably the one who hurt him the least.” 

 

“The least?” 

 

“Just...talk to him, Keith. Before we lose him for good. And apologize to Hunk.”

 

Keith sighed and let Shiro end the communication. He waited a few minutes before directing Black to open a line to Red. Lance immediately declined the call, and Keith growled in frustration as he made Black force through the call. 

 

“What?” Lance snapped.

 

“Hello to you too.” Keith said cooly. 

 

“What do you want?” 

 

“Just to talk.” Keith dug in a compartment in the arm of his pilot’s seat and came up with a small silver stress toy. He started to lightly toss it in the air and catch it. “What did you dream about?” 

 

“I forgot how great you are at beating around the bush.” Lance scowled.

 

“I never enjoyed wasting time as much as you.” Keith tossed the ball a few more times. “Come on, Lance. Talk to me. What did you dream about?”

 

Lance was quiet for a few minutes. Then, “Did you know I died?”

 

“What?” 

 

Lance wasn’t looking at him. He was busy observing the ceiling. “We were fighting Sendak. Everything was going to hell, as usual. Allura was about to get hit so I knocked her out of the way. I took the blast and...everything went black.”

 

Keith swallowed a lump in his throat. 

 

“It was so cold, Keith. And I couldn’t move. And I saw...I’m not sure what I saw. But it scared me. I know that.”

 

Keith was openly staring at Lance now, who shifted uncomfortably. He picked at the blanket covering his legs. 

 

“Anyway, Allura...she came and pulled me back. I was probably out for two minutes? But it was...final moments. Not how I thought they’d go. If we’re being honest, I thought there’d be a lot more coke and strippers involved.” 

 

Keith rolled his eyes and Lance looked at him expectantly. 

 

“Come on, man, you know you want to laugh at that.” Lance grinned.

 

“Lance, be serious.” 

 

Lance sighed. “You’re right. It’s exactly how I thought I’d go. Scared. Alone. Another moment for the PTSD flip book.”

 

“You weren’t alone.” Keith reminded. “You had the team with you.” 

 

Lance gave him a look that Keith would never forget. It was haunted, and pained, and there was a certain dark, emptiness in his eyes. If there had ever been a moment where he knew exactly what the other paladin was thinking, it was this one. 

 

_ We all die alone _ . 

 

“Why didn’t I hear about this?” Keith asked. “You told me literally every moment of every day I was gone and not that?” 

 

“I don’t know. Honestly, I don’t like thinking about it. I dream about it every damn night.”

 

“Why didn’t anyone else tell me about it?” 

 

Now Lance looked actively uncomfortable. “I’m not really sure if they know.” 

 

“What?”

 

“Well...I think Allura might’ve thought I was just knocked out. You know how she doesn’t really know the extent of her powers. And I didn’t really bother...telling anyone…”

 

“Why not?” 

 

“I just...you know how busy everyone’s been.” 

 

“You think they’ve all been too busy for their friend who died.” 

 

“Well what was anyone supposed to do about it, Keith?” Lance snapped. “It. Happened. Okay? I died. And then I woke back up. And unless Ziggy can go back in time, we can’t change it. It’s just another damn thing we can’t fix.”

 

“They could have supported you.” Keith said softly. “They’re your friends, Lance.”

 

Lance bit his lip and looked away. There was something he still wasn’t sharing. 

 

“Look, I know you hate talking about...feelings and crap about as much as I do. But you should have said something.”

 

“Like I said, they’ve been busy.” Lance muttered. “And it doesn’t matter. It is what it is, and I’ll just have to...try not to wake up screaming with an open comm line.”

 

“Lance - “

 

“What do you dream about?” 

 

“What?”

 

“Come on, man, I told you about my nightmares. You tell me yours.”

 

“Your nightmares woke up the entire team.”

 

“Yeah, well, feelings and crap. Your turn.” 

 

Keith hesitated and shook his head. “You’re going to laugh.”

 

“When do I ever laugh at you?” 

 

“Only like...I don’t know...always?” 

 

“Keith, I promise not to laugh. Come on, share. Or I’ll make sure you never sleep on this road trip again.” 

 

Keith sighed. “Alright. Fine. Lately, when I remember my dreams they’re about the future. My future.” 

 

“Your future?” 

 

“Yeah. And the team. Like, I see Hunk and Pidge hitting a roadblock with the new ship. It’s only ever like...really stressful moments. Or heightened emotions. There’s one where...everything’s on fire and you’re in a lot of pain.”

 

Lance bit his lip. “Any idea - “

 

“Lance, I don’t know anything else. Besides, the future can change so...good chance that whatever it’s about doesn’t happen.”

 

Lance nodded. Keith started tossing the stress ball again. 

 

“Anything else?” 

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Well, you were worried I would laugh at you. So...obviously there’s something else.”

 

Keith sighed and tossed the ball. “I fall in love.”

 

Lance gasped. “You liar! You told me you didn’t see anything like that! Kogane, you little sneak! I am telling your mother!”

 

“Shut up, Lance.” 

 

Lance sat back in his seat and studied him. “He must be hideous, because you do not seem excited.”

 

“I don’t know what he looks like. I don’t even know what he sounds like. The visions always ended before I could see anything that would actually show me.” Keith glumly tossed the ball again. “All I know is how...comfortable I am, with him.”

 

“Huh.” Lance fiddled with his blanket. “Why are you acting like this is the worst thing in the world?”

 

“I’m not.” Keith grimaced. “I just...it’s weird. I always thought it would be...not impossible but...unlikely. And now I have all these weird flashes telling me that it’s - “

 

“Definite?” 

 

“Possible.” Keith hedged. “Possible.” 

 

“Okay. Possible.” Lance looked up. “It must be...nice, in a way. Like...you know you have a soul mate out there. You just have to find them.”

 

“I’m even less of a believer in happy endings, Lance.”

 

“Never said that.” Lance frowned. “I mean like...you know there’s someone out there who will make you feel that way. And then it’s all in your hands if you screw it up or not.”

 

Keith thought about it. “I guess that’s not a bad way of looking at it.” 

 

“Why do you think I flirt with everyone?” 

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “I think the word you’re looking for is terrorize.” 

 

“Screw you, Kogane. They call me Lover-Boy Lance for a reason!”

 

“Why are you like this?”

 

Lance grinned at him, but then it slid off his face. “Hey. Uhm, thanks. For...asking.”

 

“Yeah. Anytime. Try to get some sleep, okay?”

 

“Yeah. You too.”

 

~*~

 

Now that Keith definitely knew that something was wrong, he realized what had been bothering him the whole time. 

 

Lance was quiet.

 

Lance wasn’t quiet when it was just the two of them. Late at night, chatting on a private line. Catching up. He chatted with Krolia too, delighting her with his ‘grumpy Keith’ impersonations. 

 

But when the group line was open, he was quiet. Never having much to add. And no one seemed to really notice, either. He flinched every time Shiro said his name, even though Shiro was trying to coax him into giving an opinion on their next move, which planets to stop at. 

 

When they finally reached the Erubous system, Pidge selected a planet covered in trees. Everyone jumped from space ships and marked out a perimeter in a clearing. Keith frowned as he watched Lance volunteer to take first watch with Matt and another rebel, Jirrieh. He seemed more like his old self as he talked to them, making Matt laugh openly. Pidge was scowling at them in jealousy. 

 

Allura had taken command of the group, splitting everyone into groups to set up the camp. Lance had asked Shiro to take Kaltenecker out of the Red Lion and let him get some fresh air, so Shiro was cursing as he tried to lead a very stubborn cow outside. Keith joined Hunk in unpacking bedrolls.

 

“Hey, Hunk?”

 

“What’s up, buddy?”

 

“Sorry, about the other night. I didn’t mean to…snap.”

 

“S’alright.” Hunk shrugged. “We were all a little groggy.”

 

Keith frowned and watched Hunk continue to unpack bedrolls. 

 

“Do you know why Pidge was treating Lance like that?”

 

Hunk shrugged. “You tell me.”

 

“What?”

 

“Well, he doesn’t talk to us anymore. He’s actually...I think he’s been avoiding us.”

 

Hunk had stopped working and Keith frowned at him. “Why?”

 

“Well...he kind of...had a crush on Allura. We weren’t exactly...kind.” 

 

Hunk’s face was filled with regret, and Keith was struggling to wrap his head around the information. He knew Lance always had a thing for Allura, and if he had to guess he’s say the reason that Allura was acting weird around Lance was because she knew. 

 

But Hunk…

 

“I mean...I am sorry but I just didn’t really think he actually liked her, you know?” 

 

“What makes you say that?”

 

“Because he was doing his usual thing.” Hunk shrugged. “Ridiculous, over the top. Same way he treats everyone.”

 

“And what’s he like when he actually likes someone?”

 

Hunk frowned. “I don’t know. I’ve never seen it...he said there was someone a long time ago, before I met him at the Garrison. Said it kind of...ruined a lot for him.” 

 

Keith watched as the cosmic wolf materialized next to Lance and butted his hand with his nose. Lance smiled and scratched behind his ears. 

 

“Anyway, we weren’t exactly nice about it and he was already kind of distant. We apologized but...I know he’ll come around eventually but Pidge just feels kind of abandoned.”

 

“Hey, Keith!”

 

Keith looked up at Lance. 

 

“I’m taking Ziggy, alright?”

 

He sighed. “His name is - “

 

“Let’s go, Ziggy.” 

 

Keith turned around to respond to Hunk, by either yelling or laughing, but he was already gone, heading for Allura to ask for his next task. 

 

How far up his own ass did Hunk have to be to really think that Lance was this mad over some light teasing? He wanted read him the riot act. Hunk was the last person Keith thought would ever be anything less than a wonderful friend. And here he was, completely blind to the pain Lance was in. And Lance made him swear not to tell anyone about his death, so he couldn’t at least fix that. 

 

It wasn’t his job to fix it.

 

It wasn’t even his job to fix Lance. 

 

Like many other things involving Lance, this was a test of patience. 

 

Keith looked across the clearing to see Shiro still struggling with the cow. 

 

“Hey, Shiro!” he called with a grin.

 

Shiro looked up.

 

“Patience yields focus.”

 

Shiro scowled. “Brat.”

 

~*~

 

The camp was set up pretty quickly, with a large campfire in the middle of the clearing. The second watch, consisting of Allura and two rebels, had taken over. Keith and Lance shared their food with the huge ball of blue fur parked on their feet. Pidge sat on the ground next to her brother, typing away on a tablet. 

 

Shiro moved around the campfire and sat next to Lance. “Hey, guys.”

 

“Hey, Shiro.” Keith said. 

 

“Lance, can we talk for a minute?”

 

Lance shrugged noncommittally. Across the clearing, Pidge snapped at her brother to stop touching her. 

 

Keith started to stand. “I’ll go - “

 

“It’s alright.” Shiro said, waving his hand. “It’ll be quick. Lance, I want you to know, I’m so sorry. For how you were treated after I died.”

 

“It wasn’t you, Shiro.” Lance muttered. “I couldn’t hear you, and - “

 

“It’s not your fault. Okay?” Shiro insisted. “None of it is your fault.”

 

Lance stared at the fire like it could save him from whatever he was feeling. 

 

“I don’t know why the clone made a point to isolate you. But you have a brilliant mind for strategy. And you’ve become a great fighter. Almost as good as Keith.”

 

“I wouldn’t say almost.” Keith joked. 

 

Lance rolled his eyes and Shiro reached over to swat him. “Quiet. Because of that, Lance, when we get back to Earth I’d like you to work with Keith to train the recruits there.” 

 

Lance hesitated. 

 

“Pidge, I’m not doing anything.” Matt said, frustrated. 

 

“Yes you are! Stop it!”

 

“Think about it.” Shiro said, standing. “I think you’d be good at it.”

 

Lance sighed and rubbed his face as Shiro walked away. 

 

“You good?” Keith asked.

 

“Yeah.” Lance said. “Sure.”

 

“You do know I can tell when you’re lying, right?”

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “Whatever. You can take your hand off my back now.” 

 

Keith looked at him in confusion and held up both his hands. “I’m not touching you.”

 

“STOP FUCKING TOUCHING ME!” Pidge screamed at her brother. 

 

“I’M NOT!’

 

Lance whipped around and grabbed and pulled. A thick black vine wrapped around his wrists. Lance grunted in surprise as the vines jerked him upwards.Keith grabbed onto him and both boys were pulled up off the ground. There were shouts on the ground as more vines shot out from the dark. 

 

Keith pulled his knife from the strap on his back and cut clean through the vine. He and Lance fell, and he groaned when the other boy landed with his elbow in his stomach. 

 

“Oh, quiznack.”

 

Lance jumped off the ground, red bayard materializing in his hand. He pulled Keith up and nodded. Around them, everyone was hacking back at the vines that were reaching out from the darkness. Krolia smashed one reaching for her foot with a rock. 

 

“Mom!”

 

She looked up and Keith tossed his knife towards her while materializing the black bayard in his other hand. Krolia caught it and severed the vine, then launched forward to help Hunk. Lance was charging towards where Jirrieh was wrapped in a vine’s tight grip. Before he could get close, he was jerked up and into the darkness. 

 

Three vines shot down from above to grab Keith, and he ducked and rolled out of the way. He tried to get to Shiro and Coran, who were having mixed results firing blasters, but the vines seemed to be keeping him corralled. Pidge screamed as the vines wrapped around her legs and jerked her upside down. Matt let out a frustrated yell - his staff wasn’t so effective - and grabbed his sister around the middle. Lance sprinted over and hacked through the vines, Pidge dropping to the ground. 

 

Whatever was attacking really wanted Pidge. More vines shot out, and Lance and Matt stood firmly in front of the small girl and beat them back. 

 

“They won’t stop.” Matt grunted. 

 

“Keith!” Lance shouted. “When I say go, grab a log from the fire and toss it in the air!”

 

“What?” 

 

“Just trust me!”

 

Keith grunted and rolled away from more vines, then hurtled towards the fire. One log was sticking out of the pile, half unburned. Pidge screamed as a vine knocked Matt aside and shot towards her. She sliced through them with her bayard, but before anyone could do anything Matt was lifted into the darkness. 

 

“Keith! Now!”

 

Keith grabbed the burning log and tossed it as high as he could. Light spread through the treetops, revealing thick vines that had spread across the branches. To Keith’s left was the center of the mass - a huge yawning mouth filled with thorns, like a venus fly trap on steroids. Matt and Jirieh were bundled up in vines near the mouth, along with Allura and the other two rebels who had been on patrol. 

 

Lance’s bayard transformed into its more familiar riffle shape, and he took a deep breath and aimed. He released a quick succession of blasts. 

 

A scream filled the air as the hostages dropped and the vines around them writhed like they were in pain. Pidge started to run for her brother, but Lance launched himself at her and knocked her to the side, protectively hugging her small frame as they rolled. Seconds later, the flaming log crashed down exactly where she had been. The scream died out, and there was a heavy thunk as the body of the venus fly trap dropped behind Keith. 

 

“Everyone alright?” Keith called.

 

Various muttered responses. He looked around and made sure they weren’t missing any faces. Coran was checking the princess for a concussion while Hunk helped Krolia to her feet. 

 

Matt was already up and kneeling next to his sister. “Katie? You alright?” 

 

“Yeah.” Pidge muttered, sitting up and rubbing her face. She looked around. “Where are my glasses?” 

 

Lance slowly sat up and looked around. “Here, Pidge.” He held up the round wire frames and handed them over. They were dirty but intact.

 

“That was some quick thinking, buddy.” Hunk said, coming over to them. “How did you - “

 

“I could tell the vines were taking everyone in a similar direction, I just couldn’t see enough to aim without accidentally killing someone.” 

 

“So you had Keith throw the log to provide light.”

 

“Great work, Lance.” Matt praised, smiling slightly. He patted him on the shoulder and helped him up. “Thanks.” 

 

“Pidge, do we have anything that we can use to set up a better perimeter?” Keith asked. “Something for from above?” 

 

“Yeah, I think I can get something.” she said. “Hunk, come help.” 

 

Keith looked at Lance. “Great work.”

 

Lance shrugged, but smiled ever so slightly at the compliment. 

 

“Help me check for more of those until they get the perimeter up?” 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

Keith looked up to see his mother. “You alright?” she asked.

 

He nodded. She smiled slightly and turned away to help Coran move Allura, who had hit her head pretty hard. 

 

Soon the perimeter was set up, a new watch was assigned, and everyone else was settling into sleep. Lance had taken his bedroll away from the group a little bit, and Keith stood next to him and tightened his arm plates slightly before he went on patrol. 

 

“You sure you’ve got it here?” he asked quietly. Lance was going to stay up and watch the camp.

 

“Yeah, I’m not tired. Adrenalin.” he shrugged. 

 

Pidge approached and tossed a bedroll on the ground next to Lance’s. She wordlessly knelt down and undid the strap so it sprang out flat. Lance rose his eyebrows at her. 

 

“You good, Pidge?” he asked. 

 

She sat down and didn’t look at him. “Thanks for saving me and my stupid brother.” she mumbled. 

 

“Hey, that’s what teammates are for, right?” He smiled easily, but Keith saw something sad in his eyes. “I’ll always have your back.” 

 

“I was kind of a jerk to you the other night.”

 

“You’re alway kind of a jerk, Pidge. I’m used to it.” 

 

“Well, I’m sorry.” 

 

Lance smiled slightly. Pidge flopped down on her bedroll and turned away from the two boys. 

 

“Comm me if you need anything.” Keith said quietly, standing.

 

Lance nodded and settled back against the tree he was leaning on. Keith crossed the clearing and joined Krolia, Coran, and Hunk.

 

“Is Allura alright?” he asked.

 

“She’ll be fine. Shiro is taking care of her.” the advisor said. “Are we ready?” 

 

“Yeah, let’s move out.”

 

The others disappeared into the dark, and Keith looked over the camp quickly before following. Pidge had rolled onto her back and was talking quietly to Lance, who smiled and teased her. 

 

It wasn’t fixed, but it was a start. 

 

~*~

 

**_This is for the lions hiding in the wiry, broke down frames of my friend's bodies._ **

**_When the floodwater comes, it ain't gonna be clear, it's gonna look like mud._ **

**_But I will help you swim. I will help you swim, I'm gonna help you swim._ **


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just because they're home doesn't mean it's all perfect.

**The first time Keith saw that he would, eventually, find love, it was so non-descript he almost missed it.**

 

**He was in a large bedroom that vaguely reminded him of the Castleship. One of the rooms they would house refugee families in before they could get them to a safe planet. There was an unmade double bed and a large window, smooth white walls, a small sitting area. The panel-door hiding the bathroom hung open, showing the mirror thick with steam. Two desks faced each other, each a little crowded but meticulous in their mess.**

 

**In the memory, the future-memory, Keith walks over to the desk and his eye is drawn to a framed picture on the corner. There’s other photographs, but for some reason he knows that’s his favorite. He’s sitting in the driver’s seat of a hover-car, leaning on the controls and smiling, red armour on but helmet off to show his hair is at least partially tied back. Lance is sitting in the window of the passenger side, feet in the car and elbows on the roof. His bayard is in riffle form and pointed skyward, and his grin is wide as ever.**

 

**So he and Lance are still friends in the future.**

 

**He looks at the desk and sees an envelope with a date on the front. He picks it up, somehow knowing what's inside, and frees its contents. More photographs.**

 

**Posed photographs. Candid photographs. All of him. He leans against walls and smiles. He tucks Pidge under an arm and grins. He and Shiro sit at a dinner table together and laugh at something the photographer says.**

 

**The candid ones are shocking, and Keith is stunned at how...beautiful they are. He is, in the photographer’s eye. Here he is just waking up, surrounded by white sheets and a dopey smile on his face. Here is is turning around in surprise, mouth hanging open and a blush on his cheeks. Here he is doubled over laughing. Here he is with Krolia, both of them half asleep.**

 

**The vision ends before he can read the note on the underside of the envelope flap.**

 

~*~

 

“I can’t...guys, it’s...home.” 

 

Keith stared at the tiny blue speck that was quickly getting larger. There were so many times, especially after his dad died, that all the wanted was to leave Earth for good. He never thought that actually returning would feel so great. Krolia rested a hand on his shoulder and squeezed. Shiro, who had joined them in the Black Lion for the last leg of the journey, looked awed.

 

He looked around at the comm screens. Not one of the humans seemed to be able to breathe.

 

“We’re being hailed.” Allura said quietly. “Should I - “

 

“No.” Shiro said, snapping out of his daze. “I will.”

 

Shiro leaned past Keith and accepted the communication. 

 

“Fleet, you’re entering protected airspace. Identify yourself.”

 

“This is Takashi Shirogane, formerly of the Galaxy Garrison. Requesting permission to land.”

 

There was a pause. “Takashi Shirogane is dead.” 

 

“Not anymore.” Shiro straightened up. “The Paladins of Voltron and Coalition request immediate landing.”

 

“Something’s wrong.” Pidge muttered. “Where’s Dad?”

 

An alarm sounded and Keith looked around for the source of the noise. “Shiro...they’re aiming those satellites at us...they don’t look friendly…”

 

“I can take those out.” Lance said leaning forward. 

 

“No! We can’t open with hostility on our home planet!”

 

“Damn it.” Shiro cursed. “Earth, this is Takashi Shirogane. Requesting immediate landing.”

 

“What do we do?” Allura asked.

 

“Those satellites aren’t going to do much damage to us.” Pidge frowned. “I’d bet they couldn’t even take a shuttle out of the air. They should have made some of the upgrades I recommended to Dad by now…”

 

“So, you’re saying our plan is we just land anyway, and hope we don’t get shot?” Hunk asked. “Cause that does not sound like a good plan.”

 

“Only plan we’ve got.” Keith muttered. “Alright, everyone, tight formation around Matt and Jirrieh’s ships. We’re landing outside of the Garrison headquarters.”

 

“I still really think we should land outside the school.” Lance offered. “You know, who’s to say that Iverson doesn’t get squashed by a giant mechanical Lion? It’ll look like an accident.” 

 

Keith found himself agreeing, but Allura said, “Lance, no.”

 

“Fun-killer.”

 

“Murder is not fun.”

 

“You haven’t met Iverson yet.”

 

Everyone moved into the position, and began a slow approach to the planet. 

 

“Hostile fleet, abandon your approach.” 

 

“We’re not hostile.” Shiro said tightly. “We are the Paladins of Voltron, defenders of the universe. We’re just trying to come home.” 

 

“Voltron? The hell is that?” 

 

“He’s joking right?” Matt asked. “Tell me he’s joking.” 

 

“Where is Doctor Holt?” Shiro demanded. 

 

“Sam Holt? That nut? He’s been in a mental institution for the last six months.”

 

“What?” Matt asked quietly. 

 

“Pidge! No!” Hunk shouted as the Green Lion shot towards the Earth.

 

“Pidge, get back here!” Keith ordered, but it was too late. Lance was already chasing after her in Red, with Matt racing after him despite the protests of everyone aboard his ship. 

 

“Quiznack.” Keith grumbled, leading the rest of the group after them. 

 

The satellites fired feebly at the group, but the blasts just bounced off like rain drops. They hurtled towards the planet, ignoring the empty threats from the idiot on the comm line until Keith finally had the sense to close the line. 

 

Pidge was heading for Florida, the old site of the Kennedy Space Center. Merritt Island was no longer used for launches, but aside from a very nice museum it had the Galaxy Garrison headquarters. Pidge and Matt had basically grown up on the island due to their father’s work. The Green Lion touched down near the old launch site, Red right behind it. 

 

Keith was being hailed again, but he ignored it and raced to land Black next to the other Lions. From here he could see people pouring out of buildings with guns.

 

“God, damn it.” Keith groaned.

 

When Keith finally did land, he leapt out of his seat and beat Shiro and his mother to the door, slamming the button for Black to open the door multiple times. He freely jumped from the mouth of the Lion, letting his jet pack do the work of slowing his descent. 

 

Pidge had her bayard out and was struggling against Lance and Matt. 

 

“Katie! Calm down!” Matt begged. “You’re going to get us killed!”

 

“But - “

 

“Pidge, there’s a ship full of aliens behind you!” Lance hissed. “The Garrison Elites will shoot them and ask questions later if you don’t calm down!”

 

The other ships had landed, the Lions casting large, proud shadows over the grassy field. Aliens were spilling out over the area, uncertainty looking around and blinking in the bright sunshine. The air smelled like sea and ancient rocket fuel. It was hot and humid, and Keith wasn’t sure if he was finding it hard to breathe because of the humidity or the strange familiarity of the foreign air. 

 

“Is this - “ Coran started.

 

“Yes.” Hunk said, looking like he was struggling to breathe. “We’re home.”

 

“Put your hands in the air, and turn around.”

 

Lance’s eyes were wide with fear and he slowly let go of Pidge. Keith turned around and saw a small army of Garrison Elites pointing guns at him and his friends. 

 

“Guys?” Matt asked softly.

 

“Too many.” Shiro cautioned.

 

“We could stay under the Lion’s shields, get them with blasters.” Hunk muttered.

 

“That would give them time to get reinforcements.” Coran pointed out.

 

“Won’t win us any favors.” Allura said. 

 

Keith looked back at Lance, who slowly shook his head. Keith looked back at the firing line and slowly put his hands in the air. The rest of the group slowly followed. 

 

“Who the hell are you?” the soldier in charge demanded. “Take off your helmets.” 

 

Slowly, the Paladins removed their helmets and the rebels pushed back their hoods. There was a stunned silence from the Elites. Many of them had gone to school with Matt and Shiro. They knew how Shiro had taken Kogane under his wing - the best pilot of the generation! And everyone knew the faces of the missing Garrison school kids. They had been plastered all over every screen for months. 

 

And behind them, aliens. Real, live aliens.

 

Allura stepped forward. “I am Princess Allura of Altea, representative of the Voltron Coalition and Pink Paladin. I demand to speak to your leaders. Now.”

 

Time seemed to have stopped. 

 

Shiro stepped forward. “We’re not here to harm anyone. We mean to prepare the planet for the coming war. We need Dr Holt.”

 

The one in charge lowered his gun, and waved everyone else’s down as well. He flipped up the visor of his helmet. “Shirogane. It is you.” 

 

Shiro slowly lowered his hands, and the rest of the group followed suit. “Wilson.”

 

“Holt, that you?” Wilson spat on the ground and studied him. “You look like hell.”

 

Matt grimaced. “It’s what happens when you walk through it, Wilson.” 

 

“Let’s go inside. We can have the big wigs meet us there.”

 

They marched towards the buildings at the edge of the field, the soldiers corralling them. The rebels, many of them having been in prisons similar to Shiro and Matt, were twitchy. 

 

“Stand down, stand down.” Matt hummed like a mantra. 

 

“Pidge, I’m sure he’s okay.” Hunk whispered. 

 

“How could they?” she asked in a shaking voice. “How could they - “ 

 

“Is this normal?” Allura asked Shiro. 

 

A vein was throbbing in Shiro’s temple. “No. But I did think something like this might happen.” 

 

Shiro had shared his concerns with Keith at the beginning of the journey. The Garrison had fought so hard to keep the abduction of the Holts and Shiro under wraps after Shiro returned the first time, Shiro was worried that Dr Holt’s return would be a lot more bad news that no one wanted to hear. 

 

So he had anticipated no progress in terms of Earth studying Altean tech. He had anticipated being held at gunpoint. He anticipated having to provide proof - which was part of the reason he had asked Krolia to remain front and center through the whole thing. Not only was she living proof of alien life, but she oozed danger in a way that the other aliens on the mission did not. 

 

What no one had anticipated was Dr Holt locked away in a psychiatric hospital. 

 

“Oh, quiznack.” Lance groaned. 

 

“What?” Coran asked. “What’s wrong? Aside from the obvious?” 

 

Lance looked over at Hunk and Pidge. “A lot of the kids we went to school with...they would have graduated by now.”

 

“So?” 

 

“So, where do Garrison kids usually spend their first two years out of school?”

 

Now Keith heard the whispers. The hallways they were being marched down were lined with curious faces, some even looked vaguely familiar to him. 

 

“Is that Takashi Shirogane? What happened to his arm?”

 

“Who cares? I’d call him daddy anyday.” 

 

“Who’s that chick with him?” 

 

“Talk about a power couple.”

 

“Holy shit, is that woman purple?”

 

“Check out the dude with the arms.”

 

“Look, it’s Garrett, McClain and Gunderson!”

 

“Wait, is the one in white and green Matt Holt? Or the one with the staff?” 

 

“How the hell did McClain get onto an elite fighting force?” 

 

“Is that Kogane! He’s fucking ripped!”

 

“Look at that scar!” 

 

“I thought McClain hated Keith Kogane. Why are they together?” 

 

“Is it just me, or does Garrett look sorta...more...hunk?”

 

“Is that animal wild, or…?”

 

They finally were swept into a conference room filled with older military personnel. The room buzzed with arguing voices. Shiro and Allura sat in the two chairs provided at the table. Coran stood directly behind his princess, with a reassuring hand on her shoulder and a look of warning on his face. The Paladins clustered behind Shiro, in various stages of disbelief and grief. Lance kept a surprisingly fierce look on his face, but his eyes darted towards the door as if he expected his family to walk through at any moment. Pidge was shaking. Hunk was looking around the room and studying each general astutely. Keith scowled across the room at Iverson, who flinched. 

 

Everyone else spread in a line behind them. Krolia was resting another hand on Keith’s shoulder, a reassuring pressure. 

 

Allura leaned back and looked at Lance. “Is that Iverson?”

 

“Yes.”

 

“You’re right. I hate him.” 

 

Lance smiled wryly. “Just say the word, Princess. I’ll make it look like an accident.” 

 

Allura laughed, then turned and faced forward. Lance snapped his eyes forward again, and Keith briefly wondered if Hunk was wrong about Lance and Allura. Then again, this was the least awkward interaction they’d had in weeks. So maybe he wasn’t. 

 

“Can someone explain what the hell is going on?” Iverson barked, and the room fell silent. 

 

Shiro set his jaw, and looked the older man in the eye. “None of us are saying a word until Dr Holt is released from the institution, and reunited with his children.” 

 

Pidge froze, looking gratefully at Shiro. He and the other three boys who had become additional brothers to her had their jaws set. 

 

“Not. One. Word.” Shiro said flatly. 

 

~*~

 

They were in there for hours.

 

Samuel Holt was found and released relatively quickly, and brought into the conference room with his wife. Pidge broke down in tears when she saw her mother, which made most of the room shift uncomfortably. 

 

“I’m so sorry.” Pidge muttered into her shoulder as the shell-shocked woman held both her children tight. “I’m so, so sorry.” 

 

Another chair was found for Dr Holt, Mrs Holt was taken to the infirmary for something to calm her heart, and Pidge took her place with more determination than before. 

 

So they told the whole story. From the beginning. 

 

It took hours. Keith had almost forgotten most of it. But as a group, they filled in the blanks for each other. The story itself didn’t take so long, it was the questions that the generals needed answered. The concluded politics of the inter-galactic war. 

 

But it wasn’t like they could say no. The proof of alien life was standing there glaring at them. Embodied in the Galra mother, the Altean Princess and her Advisor, the Rebel Hundreans with their many arms and Ummaths with their flightless gossamer wings. 

 

Besides. Six missing persons returned…

 

Shiro was insistent that his team was allowed a week of leave before any work was started. Pidge opened her mouth to argue, but her father turned around and fixed her with a steady look. 

 

A week of leave, as well as wages and housing for everyone who arrived with them.

 

He outlined a vague version of his plan. Hunk, Pidge and Allura would focus on building the new ship, with help from Dr Holt and the best team he could assemble. Matt and Krolia would work with Earth officials to create links with the Blade of Marmora and other rebellion groups, as well as provide as much information about the wider universe as they could. Shiro and Coran would spearhead a press campaign to alert the public of the war. Keith and Lance, as well as some of the less mechanically-minded of the Rebels, would train with hand selected Elites and students. 

 

Iverson stared at Shiro in disbelief. “This is...you want these...children to teach.” 

 

“These children have seen more than you will ever dream of from behind your desk at a school that does nothing to prepare for what’s coming.” Shiro shot back. 

 

Allura leaned forward. “Generals, mark my words. The Galra are coming. They will not stop until they control every drop of quintessence in the universe.”

 

Her eyes burned, and Keith wondered how much Lotor had to do with her speech. 

 

“Voltron and its Paladins are your best chance at defending this planet. You should have started on the weapons upgrades as soon as Dr Holt returned, but judging by your pitiful offense as we approached, you haven't even looked over the suggested plans.”

 

Iverson’s ears burned. “Listen here, young lady - “

 

Allura stood, and Keith momentarily wondered if she was using her camouflaging powers to appear bigger. 

 

“I am the Princess of the Altean People.” She said. “Pink Paladin, Pilot of the Blue Lion. I will not be spoken down to.” 

 

Her voice rang clear in the crowded room, and Pidge muttered something that sounded like, “Yaaaass, queen.” Lance snickered. It did not help to disprove Iverson’s point.

 

“I have fought alongside these so called children long enough to know they are more than ready to help you prepare yourselves. But if you cannot stomach that, we will simply take Dr Holt back to the Alkari so we can build our new ship there.”

 

The threat hung in the air and the generals shifted uncomfortably. Finally, one leaned forward and said, “Your Highness, may we see this Voltron?”

 

Allura looked back to Keith. 

 

Keith swallowed a dryness in his throat. “Sure. Let’s go.” 

 

Allura stood and fell into line as Keith turned around and led everyone back out of the room. It was night now, but the air was heavy with humidity. As they walked back to the Lions, leading the huge group, Lance had his eyes closed as he took deep breaths of the thick air. He almost walked into Keith before he finally opened his eyes. 

 

“Sorry.” he said, smiling sheepishly. “It’s just...so great, you know?” 

 

Keith didn’t know. He hated this humidity. It made every inch of his skin feel wet. But he realized that this would have been similar to what Lance grew up in. 

 

“Is this really a good idea?” Hunk asked. 

 

“No.” Keith sighed. “Is anything we do?”

 

“There’s not a lot of other options.” Pidge pointed out. 

 

“Besides, it’s not like you guys don’t have practice at this.” Keith added dryly. 

 

Everyone stared at him.

 

“I may have seen some contraband recordings of Voltron on Ice…”

 

Allura groaned. “I will never forgive Coran for that.”

 

Hunk was grinning widely. “I swear, it’s like the more Galra you become…” 

 

They finally reached the Lions and each boarded their own. Lance still looked a little dazed, and looked out in the direction of his home island. Keith couldn’t even imagine how he was feeling - being homesick for so long and now to be so close. Camera crews, which had been allowed onto the base to report on the appearance of the Lions, winked at them from the distance.

 

“What are we doing?” Pidge asked, strapping into her seat. “Just...leaping up and forming Voltron?”

 

“Well, we’re here.” Hunk sighed. “Might as well give them a show.”

 

Keith glanced at the image of the Blue Paladin on his screen. “You ready, Lover Boy Lance?”

 

Lance’s eyes locked onto Keith’s, shocked for a moment. Then a lazy grin filled his face. “You ain’t seen nothin yet, pretty boy.”

 

Lance was the first to launch his Lion into the air, Red streaking into the atmosphere as he let out a strangled cry that choked tears with joy. Yellow and Green darted after him, then Blue. Finally, Keith and Black jumped off the ground and into the middle of their colorful light show. 

 

_ They were home. _

 

“Alright, team. Form Voltron!”

 

~*~

 

They were all put up in the barracks for a couple of hours - the reality of a giant mechanical robot weapon on the planet persuading the generals to give the paladins whatever they needed. Matt and Pidge were immediately whisked off to their family home. Allura muttered something about needing another thousand years of sleep before collapsing into a bunk. 

 

Keith tried to sleep, but kept tossing and turning. Finally he realized that across the narrow space from him, Lance sat up in his bed and scrolled away on his old phone, which finally had service again. 

 

“Lance.”

 

He turned and looked at him. 

 

“Go to sleep.” 

 

“Sorry.” he said. 

 

“What are you doing?” 

 

Lance hesitated. “My brother Luis texted me...not every day but a lot. There’s a lot to catch up on. Honestly, I’m a little surprised I can still read Spanish.”

 

Keith propped himself up on his elbow. “Sorry that you can’t just go running off to them.” 

 

“S’alright.” He smiled slightly. “Not like there’s anywhere to park Red without squishing a house.” 

 

Keith watched him continue to scroll for a moment. 

 

“What are you going to do with Kaltenecker?” 

 

“She’s staying here for a bit. I have a cousin with a farm so she’ll probably go there eventually.”

 

Lance seemed to realize something, and turned off his phone screen. 

 

“I’m keeping you up, aren’t I? Sorry. I’m done. I’m seeing him tomorrow, anyway.” 

 

“You don’t have to - “

 

“It’s alright.” Lance spread out in his bunk. “Go to sleep.”

 

Keith finally fell asleep. Lance didn’t. 

 

~*~

 

For what should have been a simple relocation the next morning, everything was chaos. Shiro had recently told Keith he had given up on anything with Team Voltron going according to plan, which explained why the ‘resigned Dad’ look came out so often these days.

 

The first problem, Keith realized, was that he had drank coffee for the first time since leaving Earth and it was making his heart pound in his ears. He had already knocked over the huge pile of Pidge’s things that was waiting to be shuttled to her parent’s house. Hunk was dragging his moms over to meet Shiro, who was trying to escape into a speeder to inspect the condo that he would share with Keith and Krolia. A whole block of housing on the military base had been cleaned and furnished overnight, and Keith was helping all of the aliens move into their own condos. 

 

Oh, and it was pouring rain. 

 

Keith finally finished restacking Pidge’s pile of crap - for Christ’s sake did she really need any of this? - and noticed Lance standing near the edge of the overhang, a small backpack at his feet. He leaned against a wall, wearing the clothes he had left Earth in for the first time in months. Looking for all the world like the boy whose mother forgot to pick him up from school. 

 

Keith approached him. “Hey.”

 

“Oh, hey, Keith.” 

 

The humidity was making Lance’s hair curly, but even still Keith noticed it had gotten long. He looked so different out of his armour. 

 

“Big day.” 

 

“Yeah.” Lance looked out at the rain. “It’s kind of funny. I had almost forgotten...it’s my birthday.” 

 

“Happy Birthday.” 

 

“Thanks. I just...still can’t believe we’re here.”

 

Keith smiled. “I can punch you, if it’ll help.”

 

“I think the word you’re looking for is pinch.” Lance looked up. “Oh, hey. I have something for you.” 

 

He knelt down and unzipped his backpack. Inside were pieces of his armour and one or two nicknacks, but nothing else. Now that he really thought about it, did Lance really have anything on the castleship? Other than that cow?

 

He pulled a flash of bright red leather from the very bottom of the pack, holding it out to Keith. “Here.”

 

Keith took the jacket and frowned at it. “Why do you have this?”

 

Lance’s ears were red. “Don’t make it weird, man. You left it in the game room and I just grabbed it on my way out. Probably doesn’t fit you anymore, but I thought you might want it.” 

 

Keith looked down at the jacket that had defined him for so long before he finally found his mother and felt a twinge of sadness. It was so small. He reached into the pocket and pulled out the power stick for an old red hoverbike. 

 

“Anyway, if you want help burning it or whatever let me know.” 

 

“Burn it?” Keith echoed. 

 

“I hate that jacket.” Lance muttered.

 

Keith had half a mind to keep it forever.

 

“Lance?”

 

Both boys turned, but Lance’s whole face went slack. “Mama?”

 

A stout woman stood before them, thick curly brown hair tied up in a bun. She wore a bright orange flowing skirt. She stepped closer, almost cautiously. Like he would go up in smoke. 

 

“Mijo, you’ve gotten so pale.” she said softly. 

 

Lance stepped closer and wrapped his arms tightly around her. “I’m sorry.” He whispered, tucking his head into the crook of her neck. “I’m so, so sorry.” 

 

“Shhh, shhh, it’s okay.” She rocked him gently. “No es tu culpa.” 

 

Keith backed away from them, but as he turned away he felt Lance’s mother’s eyes on him. He walked to his own mother, who was finishing assigning housing situations. He looked over her shoulder at the list. Allura and Coran would share with Rittineh, one of the winged aliens that Keith assumed would act as an extra guard. 

 

“Lance isn’t staying with Hunk and Pidge?” Keith asked, finding the names of the Paladins. 

 

“He requested not to.” Krolia frowned. “Said their sleep schedules weren’t good for him. He’s staying with Matt and Jirrieh, but he also said he might end up staying in Cuba a lot. I guess it’s not long of a trip.” 

 

Keith turned around to stop Lance - though what he’d even say he had no idea but the whole thing just felt wrong - but Lance was already getting into a beat up hover car with his mother. The tall, lanky boy looked up at the rain for a moment, then back at Keith. He smiled slightly and waved, then got in the car. 

 

“Keith? Everything alright?”

 

Keith looked back at his mother. “Yeah. Everything’s fine.”

 

~*~

 

Keith didn’t expect to see Hunk, Lance or the Holts until their leave was over. But it didn’t matter, because he was busy settling everyone in. This included trips to Goodwill to find clothes for everyone, including Keith. Most of all for Keith, in Krolia’s mind. Unfortunately, most of what she knew about human fashion came from Keith’s father, which resulted in him owning a pile of flannel.

 

There was plenty to do, but he did manage to find a fair bit of down time. The aliens really couldn’t leave the military base - at least not until Shiro’s public awareness campaign was kicked off - so usually Shiro and Keith went on shopping trips together. It honestly reminded Keith of when he was a kid and just getting to know Shiro, trying not to get left behind in huge bright stores full of distractions. 

 

One of the things that Shiro had bought him was a sketchbook, that sat blank on the nightstand next to Keith’s bed. Keith used to love sketching, almost as much as the martial arts classes Shiro had placed him in. When he started at the Garrison, he had to drop both hobbies. Best pilot in the generation meant he was a gifted pilot, not that all the coursework behind it came easily for him. Mathematics of flight? What the hell was mathematical about the feeling of freedom as he blasted away from the confines of the atmosphere?

 

Several times, Keith picked up his sketchbook and sat down with the intent to actually draw. But usually he just sat there staring at it. 

 

It was one of those moments when communicator on his bedside table buzzed, and Keith frowned as he picked it up. There was a text from an unknown number.

 

**Unknown: Hey, are you busy?**

 

**Keith: Who is this?**

 

**Unknown: The best-looking pilot of the generation ;P**

 

Keith snorted. Lance.

 

**Keith: Shiro? Did you change your number?**

 

**Lance: Screw you, Kogane.**

 

**Lance: Are you busy?**

 

**Keith: No**

 

**Lance: Come outside.**

 

**Keith: Why?**

 

**Lance: Just come outside.**

 

**Lance: Now**

 

**Lance: Now**

 

**Lance: Now**

 

**Keith: Alright!**

 

Keith sighed and put aside the sketch book, then headed downstairs. Krolia was sitting on the couch devouring a novel, which wasn’t the genre he would have chosen for her. The huge wolf was lounging on her legs. She glanced up at him. 

 

“Something wrong?” 

 

“I don’t know. Lance is texting me.”

 

Keith held up the communicator, which was being filled with spam messages of “now”. She snorted and went back to her book. “Better see what he wants.”

 

Keith sighed and walked out of the condo, firmly shutting the door behind him. Lance was sitting in a different beat up hover car from the one he left in, all the windows rolled down. 

 

“Get in, loser, we’re going to the mall!” he mocked. 

 

“What?”

 

“Mean Girls? No?”

 

“Didn’t really grow up in a chick-flick kind of house, Lance.” 

 

Lance sighed. “It’s not a chick-flick, Keith. It’s a cultural phenomenon. Just, get in the car!” 

 

The whole thing was surreal. He expected to maybe see Pidge before the week was up - it would only take so long before she was fed up with family time and needed to get back to work. Lance however...why the hell wasn’t Lance smothering his family with hugs and tears? 

 

Keith got in the car and barely had time to buckle his seat belt before Lance took off, breaking at least four traffic laws before even getting to the main street of the military base.

 

“Where are we going?”

 

“Just going for a joy ride.” Lance shrugged. “Figured you needed a break from all the work you and Shiro have been doing.” 

 

“You came all the way from Cuba to take me on a joyride that I don’t need?”

 

Lance looked out the window and turned out of the base and into general civilization, waving at the armed guards as he left. “It’s only like twenty minutes. They built a new speedway.”

 

It had only been a few days, but Lance already looked different. Keith hadn’t really noticed before but he had been pale, as his mother pointed out. Being on a spaceship all the time had taken its toll. His skin was already darker, rich caramel with the slightest hint of a sunburn on his cheeks and long nose. Maybe it was the bright yellow patterned Havana shirt he was wearing, and white shorts. 

 

“What?” Lance asked, frowning at him. “Why are you staring at me?” 

 

“I just...what the hell is with that shirt?” Keith grinned, trying not to laugh.

 

Lance groaned. “I know, I hate it. It’s my brother Luis’. Nothing fits me anymore! I didn’t even notice that I grew.”

 

“It looks good.”

 

“Says the one with a flannel shirt tied around his waist like it’s 2008.” Lance grumbled. “Let me guess, you have that shirt in five colors.”

 

“You should see what Jirrieh’s wearing these days.”

 

“Oh, mio dios, no.” Lance groaned. “I don’t want to think about it.”

 

The Spanish almost surprised Keith. He knew it was Lance’s first language, but he never once spoke it while they were in space. He had mentioned the night before he went home that he was afraid he had lost it. Even this little bit, something so easy, rolled off his tongue as if he had been saying it the whole time. 

 

They stopped at a traffic light and Lance picked up a bulky, old-school camera from the center console and aimed at Keith. “Smile!”

 

“What the - “

 

Lance’s finger had already pressed down and the shutter snapped. He glanced at the screen to see his work, then turned it around for Keith. “See? Not bad.”

 

Keith took the camera as the light changed and Lance had to drive again. In the photo, Keith’s mouth was slightly open and the bright sunlight made his eyes look more purple than usual. Otherwise, he looked like a complete disaster. The photograph itself wasn’t great either - the angle was a little weird and somehow the buildings out the car window were clearer than Keith. 

 

“What is this?”

 

“A camera, idiot.” 

 

“I know that - “

 

“It was a hobby of mine when I was a kid.” Lance shrugged. “I kinda dropped it when I started swim team, and then focused on getting into the Garrison. But I found it in my old room the other day and realized I missed it.”

 

Keith carefully turned it off and put it back in the center console. 

 

Lance was driving down the coast, the wind ripping through the car and beating at their ears. Keith had almost forgotten about this kind of freedom. The first freedom he had found. The radio blasted pop-rock at them, but Keith barely heard it. The sun beat down on the arm he rested out the window every time they stopped, and Keith wished he had put on sunscreen. 

 

God, he hated Florida. 

 

Eventually, Lance pulled off the road and into a surprisingly deserted beach parking lot. They got out of the car and Lance sat on the hood, looking at the grey-blue waves. Keith hoisted himself up next to him. 

 

“Where are we?” Keith asked. 

 

Lance wordlessly pointed at a sign for Jupiter Beach, and went back to his thoughts. Keith sighed and combed fingers through his tangled hair, then pulled it back and twisted it all up into a bun. The Florida heat and humidity made his hair disgusting. Lance was looking at him like he grew another head. 

 

“What?” 

 

“Looks good.” Lance grumbled. “Your hair. Never thought I’d see the day.” 

 

“Shut up.” 

 

Lance smiled slightly and looked away, picking at the short sleeve of his ridiculous shirt. 

 

“Lance, why are we here?” 

 

Lance shrugged. “Just wanted to hang out with my friend.”

 

“Why aren’t you with your family? Did something happen?” 

 

Lance shifted uncomfortably. Keith rolled his eyes. Finally Lance sighed. 

 

“I don’t know, man. It’s so weird. They’re all so...I can’t even explain it. It’s like...they’re exactly what I remember. And it’s so easy, and they’re all so happy to see me. And I have a new niece! Rosa, she’s adorable. And the little ones are more grown up. And it’s so great.”

 

“But…”

 

“But...it’s been a few years. So everyone’s kind of different, too. And I’m different. But they keep treating me like I’m the same kid who left. And they keep treating me like I’m something that’s going to break. My grandfather had really bad PTSD from the war, and so my dad is acting like I’m going to snap at any moment because that’s what he learned from him.”

 

Keith grimaced. He had never considered...Lance’s family were all civilians. They had no idea what they were bringing back home. Krolia was a soldier herself, and understood the toll of a war on a person. Shiro had been through the majority of Keith’s trauma with him.

 

“Then, I really screwed up. I scared them.” 

 

“How?” 

 

Lance rubbed his face uncomfortably. “You remember...remember when I jumped in front of Koran and saved him from that explosion on the castleship?” 

 

“Yeah.”

 

“Well, the healing pod couldn’t exactly completely fix my back. I’ve got a pretty big scar. I never really see it so I kinda forget about it most of the time.” Lance took a deep breath. “This morning, I walked into the kitchen for breakfast, and I forgot about the scar so I didn’t have a shirt on. My sister-in-law screamed. My brothers were horrified. My mother...she just started crying.”

 

“Lance…”

 

“I didn’t know what to do.” Lance groaned. “I tried to explain it and they all just looked so scared. My mother hasn’t cried like that since my abuela died. So I just...I couldn’t sit there with them all looking at me like that. I’m sorry to ruin your down-time but I just had to...I don’t know you’re like the only person I can talk to these days which is so fucking weird cause I was such an ass to you and - “ 

 

“Lance.” Keith said firmly. “Breathe.” 

 

Lance stopped talking and took a deep breath. 

 

“Look, sometimes...you just don’t believe something until you see it. Your family just...maybe they needed to actually see the scar to believe everything that happened to you.” 

 

“Like when Krolia saw your past?” 

 

“Yeah. Like that.” Keith looked sideways at him. “Have you tried telling them about it?” 

 

Lance shook his head quickly. “It would scare them.”

 

“Lance, you can’t expect them to treat you like a different person unless you show them how much you’ve changed.” 

 

Lance sighed. “I know.” 

 

They sat in silence for a long time, watching the waves. The tide was starting to come in, crashing up and gaining ground. The sky was starting to darken.

 

“I should get home.” Lance finally said. “They probably think I ran back off to space or something.” 

 

They slid off the hood of the car and started to open the doors. 

 

“Hey, Lance?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“You didn’t ruin my downtime.” 

 

“Hey, look, it’s sensitive Keith again.” Lance said, flashing him a grin. “Next thing you know, you’ll be telling me you enjoy talking to me.” 

 

“Hey, you came looking for me. And spammed my communicator. Next time, I’ll just ignore you.”

 

“No, you won’t. I always have the fun ideas.”

 

They got into the car and Lance fiddled with the radio, settling on a latin station. “Ohhhh, my Tia Patty used to sing this all the time.” 

 

“You’re such a stereotype right now.” Keith snorted. “Get some flannel.”

 

“Feel like you’ve more than got that covered for the both of us.” 

 

~*~

 

Lance dropped Keith off just as it was really starting to get dark. Shiro was sitting on the second floor balcony looking more relaxed than Keith had ever seen him, his white hair damp with sweat. He smiled and raised his beer as Lance waved to him, then pulled away from the curb. Lance was driving much more carefully than he had been earlier in the day. 

 

Keith went in the house and checked the wolf’s food and water bowls before going upstairs to join Shiro.

 

“Hey, where’s Mom?” 

 

“She went to the commissary.” Shiro sipped his beer as Keith sat. “I warned her that she’d get gawked at, but she said she’d just pick their eyeballs out. Still not sure if she was serious.” 

 

Keith considered it. 

 

“I was thinking tomorrow we’d head out to see if we can salvage your bike. It’ll be an all-day trip, but Krolia seemed interested in going too.” 

 

Keith grimaced and thought about the power stick that he carried around even though the hover bike was rusting out in the middle of a dessert. He doubted the bike was even still there. But Shiro had put so much work into getting the damn thing running for him in the first place that he felt guilty voicing these concerns.

 

Shiro was probably using the bike as a way to get him to go back to his dad’s house with Krolia. He had told Lance that he wanted to take Krolia to see his father’s grave, but now he found that he didn’t want to face it. He thought about Pidge and Lance’s immediate reactions when they saw their mothers - I’m sorry. He didn’t know the details of why that was their responses, but he knew deep down it was what he wanted to say as well. 

 

“So, how was Lance?” 

 

Keith sighed. “He’s having trouble adjusting to his family.” 

 

Shiro hummed. “Poor kid.”

 

They sat in silence and watched the lights in the houses around them slowly start to turn on. Keith wondered if Shiro would let him have a beer. He never said anything when they all drank strange alien wines at banquets. 

 

“He’ll be fine.” Shiro said eventually. “It’s a rough situation, but they love him and they’ll figure out how to be around eachother again.”

 

“Have you met any of them?”

 

“No, but his father called the Garrison panicking earlier, asking where his son was. The call got transferred to me. I assumed he was with you so I reassured him that he was fine. We had a good talk.” Shiro glanced at Keith. “He was really happy to know his son had such a good friend.”

 

“Who would’ve thought, huh?”

 

“I always knew you’d work it out eventually.” 

 

“You always say that.” 

 

Shiro shrugged. “Well, I wasn’t wrong. You two can teach each other a lot.” 

 

Shiro had said that once before, a long time ago. At the time, Keith had snorted. What could vapid, airheaded Lance have to teach him? He was starting to figure it out.

 

“Like patience?” he guessed.

 

Shiro snorted now. “That’s something you both could take a lesson in. No, I just mean that you both approach life in very different ways. I think Lance sees a lot of beauty in things, which isn’t necessarily something that you lack but something you ignore.”

 

Keith frowned as he thought about it. What Shiro was saying sounded right, but he wasn’t quite sure what it meant or how something like that was even teachable. They were all products of their upbringing, and quite frankly Lance’s was probably a lot brighter than his own. 

 

“Hey! Bro-ganes!” 

 

Keith’s eyes snapped up and he saw Matt standing on the street, holding two pizza boxes at shoulder level. 

 

“Trade pizza for beer?” 

 

“Come on up.” Shiro called down. 

 

Keith was still a little in awe of how much Matt had changed since the Kurobos mission. When Keith first met him he was this short, skinny nerdy kid who was painfully excited about the exploration mission. Shiro always told Keith that Matt had a great sense of humor but he never saw it until now. Now it was very clear where Pidge learnt her quick wit from. Matt had also grown into himself and...well, he was kind of a badass. 

 

Keith just finished that thought when Matt tripped on the frame of the sliding door, tossing the pizza boxes up and comically windmilling his arms. The pizza landed with a smack about a foot away, and Matt managed to regain his balance. 

 

“Sorry! Why is that frame so high?” 

 

Shiro sighed and leaned forward, stretching to grab the pizza boxes. He placed them on the small table and lifted the lids on both. “No harm done. Have a seat.” 

 

“Why are you here?” Keith asked. 

 

“Shiro taught you better manners than that, paladin.” Matt accepted a beer from Shiro, and then handed one to Keith. Shiro didn’t say anything, so Keith figured it was okay to drink it. “My nutcase sister had a bout of insomnia last night and has locked herself in one of the labs here. My dad tried to coax her out but then ended up so interested in her project that he is now helping her. Mom’s marching over there now so I figured I’d get out of the cross-fire.” 

 

“What’s the project?” Shiro asked. 

 

“I don’t know. She said I was a gossipy bitch, direct quote, and she wants it to be a surprise so she wouldn’t tell me. When did she start swearing so much?” 

 

“I don’t know. It’s been an ongoing problem.” 

 

Keith silently ate a slice of pizza. 

 

“I saw Lance leaving on my way in. What was he doing here?” 

 

“He and Keith went for a joyride.” Shiro explained. “They both needed it.” 

 

Keith scowled at Shiro. “I didn’t need it.”

 

“You’re so much more relaxed now than you were this morning.” 

 

Keith held up his beer. “Alcohol is a depressant.” 

 

Shiro gently kicked him in the knee, his only movable arm holding his own beer. 

 

“What’s wrong with Lance?” Matt asked, swallowing a disgusting amount of pizza. “Boy problems?” 

 

“Boy problems?” Keith repeated. 

 

“Family drama.” Shiro supplied. “It’s going around.” 

 

“Lance isn’t gay.” Keith said, extremely confused. Boy problems? 

 

Matt looked at Keith incredulously. “Seriously? How broken is your gaydar?” 

 

“He’s straight.”

 

“I’ve caught Lance staring at you and Shiro and occasionally even me in ways that are far too curious. That boy is not straight.” 

 

Shiro sighed. “Matt, the New York Pride Parade could walk down the street and Keith wouldn’t be able to figure out who was available. He can read just about any situation until there’s attraction involved.”

 

“Why are we talking about this?” Keith grumbled, feeling extremely uncomfortable with the entirety of the conversation. Figuring out his own sexuality had been enough of a monster, he didn’t want to worry about anyone else’s. 

 

“Awh, our little disaster gay.” Matt cooed, trying to wrap his arms around the younger boy. Keith swatted him away. “You just need to be loved!” 

 

“Get away from me.” 

 

When Krolia came home an hour later, thankfully without a new collection of eyeballs, she found the three still out on the balcony laughing. She smiled and pulled up a chair next to her son, gently brushing hair from his eyes. 

 

“Did you have a good day with Lance?” she asked. 

 

“Yeah.” Even after all this time he was a little surprised with the answer that came from his mouth. “I did.”

 

~*~

 

**_This is for the snakes, and the people they bite_ **

**_For the friends I've made, for the sleepless nights_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for all the kudos and comments and just general love! I hope you're enjoying this as much as I am.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to work

**The next time Keith saw his future, he knew it was after his own wedding. He had never thought he was really a marriage person.**

 

**Someone was pressed into his back, curving around his body and ending in tangled legs. Their forehead pressed against the back of his neck, and deep breathes blew on his bare skin.**

 

**Keith wanted so badly to turn around and see who was there, but the person he was at that time was so deeply comfortable he didn’t move. As he woke, he saw white linen sheets and a huge window looking out at a marmalade sky. He could feel that they didn’t have long here.**

 

**There was a large hand snug around his middle. A simple gold wedding band gleaned against copper skin. Keith found himself moving to entwine their fingers together, and pull the hand up to kiss the wedding band. The hand was calloused, not unlike his own. He was shocked to see his own matching gold band on his own finger.**

 

**The movement made the other person stir, shifting their weight.**

 

**“Can’t get rid of me now.” he, definitely a he, mumbled. The voice was low and thick with sleep, familiar but all too distant.**

 

**“I could always make it look like an accident.” Keith muttered back.**

 

~*~

 

Lance didn’t resurface for the rest of the week, and Shiro commented saying that things must be going better for him. Keith hoped he was right. 

 

Visiting his old house and the grave was hard. Harder than Keith thought it would be. Krolia had cried. He stood there for a long time, trying to think of something to say and came up short. He did decide he never wanted to see that look on Krolia’s face ever again. 

 

The hoverbike was exactly where he had left it, which shocked Keith more than just about anything. It was practically rusted out, but Shiro insisted they could salvage it and had it towed back to Florida. Keith knew half the reason was that Shiro was going stir crazy.

 

Shiro was supposed to be relaxing, but he wasn’t. He woke Keith up every morning at six to go for a run. He would then read the briefings that the Garrison sent over while Keith pulled together breakfast. Then he’d meet up with Coran and check in with Jierreh. After that is was some other task or meeting or checking in on the Lions. At least the hoverbike wasn’t war related, but it was still work. 

 

When Keith confronted him about it, Shiro looked puzzled. “I am relaxing. You’re the one who isn’t relaxing.”

 

“I’m fine. You’re going to end up dead. Again.”

 

“How many hours did you work out for yesterday?”

 

Keith scowled. Maybe neither of them were good at relaxing. 

 

Keith was mostly working out because he was bored, but he missed the training deck. He and Lance had designed a ton of training simulations together -Lance was surprisingly intuitive when it came to the coding. He could never explain how he did something, but he could do it. Keith usually had the ideas for how to make the simulation harder, how to make them exploit their individual weaknesses. They still hadn’t beaten half of them when Keith had left for the Blade…

 

“Have you been drawing?” Shiro asked.

 

“A bit.” Keith lied.

 

Shiro raised his eyebrows. “Uh-huh.”

 

“Whatever. Why don’t you garden or something, like retired soldiers are supposed to.”

 

“I’m not retired.” Shiro scowled. “I’m removing myself from the field.”

 

“Uh-huh.”

 

Keith let it go, more because he was not in a position to judge, but he was still worried. When Shiro had announced he wouldn’t be in the field anymore, it seemed like a great idea. He deserved a break. The problem was that Shiro didn’t know how to take one.

 

Their leave finally ended on a Wednesday, and Keith woke up to a short message from Pidge saying everyone was meeting in her new lab and she had presents for everyone. He yawned and rubbed his eyes as he sent her a quick response. 

 

First day back to work.

 

Keith showered and put on dark jeans and a black t-shirt.  The thought of Pidge making him a present made him a little nervous. Ninety percent of the time Pidge was a gremlin that could not be trusted and was best left alone in her lab. She could occasionally be sweet, but that was usually directed at Allura or Lance. Those moments were few and very far between.

 

Not sure what to expect out of the day, Keith packed some work out clothes and headed downstairs. Krolia was up and drinking coffee, a love that she and Keith shared.

 

“No run today?” she asked, pouring a mug for him.

 

Keith shrugged. Shiro had never woken him up, so maybe he was finally taking a break. “I’ll probably get one in later. Are you coming with us?”

 

“I will join you later. Shiro told me he wanted to see you all first.”

 

Shiro pounded down the stairs, holding his prosthetic arm against his body. Keith had a feeling that the immovable arm bothered him more than he let on. 

 

“Keith, we’re gonna be late.” he said. 

 

Keith looked at the time. “What about breakfast?”

 

“We’ll grab something on the way.” Shiro looked distracted by something, and Keith realized he was wearing his old Garrison uniform. “Come on, Pidge will lock me out of my own meeting.” 

 

Keith sighed and transferred his coffee into a travel mug, then poured a second one for Shiro. He looked at Krolia. “See you later?”

 

She smiled slightly and cupped his cheek, a rare moment of affection for both of them. “Have a good day. Say hi to Lance for me.”

 

Keith looked at her in surprise. “Sure.”

 

“Keith!”

 

“Coming!”

 

Keith ran out the door after Shiro, not trusting him to not leave without him.

 

Upon closer look, Shiro seemed exhausted. He probably had trouble sleeping, which would explain why he never woke Keith up for their run. He ordered a double shot of espresso at the cafe they stopped in and dumped it into his travel mug. 

 

When they got to the building Pidge had told them to come to, Lance was getting out of his hover car. The baby blue t-shirt he was wearing actually fit him, so Keith figured it was actually his. He grinned and waved at them, pointing excitedly at the reserved parking spot with his name on it. 

 

He seemed happier than the last time Keith saw him. A little bit more like his old self. He was already chatting a mile a minute to Shiro as Keith pulled his work out bag from the backseat.

 

“Matt was telling me that Pidge took over an entire wing of the building for us. Do you think we’ll be doing the training in here or somewhere else? I guess it doesn’t matter. Is there a list of recruits yet?”

 

“Lance, it’s too early.” Keith groaned. “Shut up.”

 

Shiro looked at Keith gratefully, and Lance turned his attention to him. “You know you missed it, Red. Where’s your plaid?”

 

“Where’s your Ace Ventura shirt?” Keith shot back.

 

“Oh my God, did you just make a pop-culture reference?”

 

Keith gently shoved him in the direction of the building. “We’re gonna be late.”

 

“Do you actually know who Ace Ventura is, or…”

 

“He and Krolia watched it for the first time last night.” Shiro called over his shoulder. 

 

Lance snickered as Keith scowled. “I hate you.”

 

Lance slung an arm around Keith’s shoulders. “Well, I’m glad you’re expanding your horizons. So proud of you.” 

 

Keith shoved him off and they pushed each other as they crossed the parking lot, only stopping when Shiro snapped at them that they were supposed to be role models. Lance’s wide grin started to fade as they entered the building and checked in with the guard stationed at a front desk. They each were given a security badge that would give them elevator access and access to most of the buildings on the base, maps of the entire island and a ‘Guidelines Booklet’. Keith knew that his would probably remain on his desk, unopened. Lance also received a credit card to cover any of his expenses, and Keith wondered if the higher-ups knew what a dangerous idea that was.

 

Finally, they were given directions to Pidge’s Lab, inside the newly repurposed Voltron Wing. Shiro herded the younger men into the elevator, nodding to several people he recognized. Lance was still dreadfully excited, and as usual Keith found himself swept up in that aura. 

 

When they finally reached the lab and scanned in to open the door, Hunk, Allura and Coran were already present. Pidge turned around and scowled. “Late.” 

 

“We’re ontime!” Keith protested, holding up his communicator. “See?” 

 

“We’re all here now.” Allura placated. “Good too see you, Lance.” 

 

“Yeah.” He looked at his feet. 

 

“Hey, Buddy.” Hunk said cheerfully. “Do you want some scones?” 

 

“No, I’m alright.” 

 

Hyperactive bunny rabbit Lance was annoying, but better than this version. No one else seemed to really notice the difference, but maybe Lance had been acting like this for so long that the others had forgotten. 

 

Lance sat up on a lab bench and seemed to try to make himself as small as possible. Keith chose to lean against the wall by the door, and Shiro sat in a chair next to Allura. Hunk was picking through pieces of equipment on various lab benches while Coran flipped through some old field notes. 

 

“How long have you been here?” Hunk asked. 

 

“Four days.” Pidge shrugged. “Once my dad and I promised Mom we’d come home for dinner every night I was allowed to work. I got a lot done, actually. Which brings me to our first order of business. Presents.” She picked up a small white tablet and handed it to Allura. “I redirected one of those useless military satellites. You can contact the Coalition now.”

 

Allura’s face lit up. “That will be very helpful. Thank you, Pidge.” 

 

“Coran, I put all of my field notes from every planet we’ve visited on this data stick. It will help you and Shiro with your awareness campaign.”

 

Coran beamed. “Excellent. Between my notes and yours I’m sure we can build a comprehensive guide.” 

 

“So, this is what I’ve mainly been working on.” Pidge said, heaving up a silver case. “Dad helped me build it and Hunk helped out with some of the design, but Allura really helped me pull it all together.” She put the case on Shiro’s lap. “Go ahead.”

 

Shiro quickly undid the locks on the case and popped up the lid. He froze for a moment, then smiled and looked up at Pidge. “I don’t know what to say.”

 

“You say, ‘You’re my favorite, Pidge. Thank you’.” 

 

Shiro laughed. Keith craned his neck and wasn’t surprised to see the case holding a new arm. This one was the pure white of Altean tech. 

 

“It’s just the first model. It should have full movement and will grip twice as strong as your real hand. I figured you just wanted something functional for now. We can add bells and whistles as soon as we know it works.” 

 

“This is great. Thank you. All of you.”

 

Everyone in the room is smiling wide. Shiro gently rested his fingers on the smooth white surface of the bicep, then closed the case. Allura helped Pidge move the case back to the lab bench. 

 

“We can make sure it works when we’re done here.” Pidge promised. “Alright, Lance and Keith. Step up.”

 

Keith pushed off the wall and Lance dropped onto the floor. 

 

“Why do I gotta share my present with Keith?” Lance whined. 

 

Pidge ignored him and led them to a corner of the lab where something tall was covered with a white tarp. She grabbed a corner of the cloth and looked at them eagerly. “Ready?” 

 

“No?” Lance guessed. 

 

She ripped the cloth down with a flourish, revealing a tall, white gladiator robot. Lance’s jaw dropped and Keith sucked in a quick breath. He had knocked over Pidge’s giant pile of stuff, and hadn’t seen one of these in there. 

 

“You kept one of those?” Lance asked incredulously. 

 

“No, I built it. Dad and Matt helped.” Pidge replied smugly. “I improved it, too. There’s nanotech that makes it completely self-repairing once the training scenario ends. I had some of the original code on my laptop because I noticed that some of the training sequences were coded weird. I was worried a virus had gotten in so I wanted to take a closer look.”

 

Keith grimaced. “Oh. Uh, that was us.” 

 

“What?” 

 

“Well, it was mostly Lance.” Keith said fairly, not bothering to hide the pride creeping into his voice. Lance deserved credit for it - he did the work. “He did all the coding. I just designed the programs.” 

 

Hunk looked confused. “Lance doesn’t know how to code.” 

 

Lance’s ears were red. “I mean, I really just built off of what was already there.” he muttered. “Once I found the pattern of it, it was really just changing the variables and statistical probabilities.” 

 

Everyone gaped at him. 

 

“That’s really impressive, Lance.” Allura said quietly. 

 

Lance shrugged and stared at the floor. 

 

Pidge coughed quietly. “Well, I’m going to have the Garrison make some more for you. I know Keith prefers to train with the bots so you don’t hurt your recruits.”

 

“Thanks, Pidge.” 

 

“The training deck they’re putting together for you is nothing like what you’re used to, but I’m sure Keith can come up with some creative scenarios.”

 

Hunk had stumbled upon a clean workspace with its own set of tools and chair. “Pidge? What’s this?” 

 

She turned and walked over to him. “That’s your present. Your own workspace.” 

 

Hunk’s grin filled his face. “Seriously? You never let me have space in your lab.”

 

“Yeah, well, we’re gonna need Team Punk more than ever. We’ve got a lot of work to do.” She turned around. “Alright, sentimental crap is over. We need to start to figure out a game plan.” 

 

Lance looked increasingly uncomfortable - as soon as Hunk’s present was unveiled his smile had wilted. Pidge pulled up a schematic of the raw materials they would need for the new ship, and Keith could tell Lance’s attention had wandered off. 

 

Keith paid careful attention, listening to everyone’s concerns and needs. Shiro handed him a list of twenty names - the first group they would be training. Keith flipped through the stats - a lot of these Elites were older than them. That could cause problems. On the other hand, none of them had seen live fire. Something Keith and Lance were a little too familiar with. 

 

As soon as the meeting was over, Lance scooped up his bag and was out the door. Keith followed him after a moment’s hesitation. No one else seemed to really notice that they had left. 

 

“Lance! Wait up.” 

 

Lance turned and paused as Keith jogged after him, his own bag smacking into his side. He slowed as he reached him.

 

“Where are you going?” 

 

Lance shrugged. “Figured I’d go see this new training deck.” 

 

“Without me?” 

 

“Thought you were busy.” 

 

Keith wanted to kick him, but fought to rein in his temper. “Idiot. Let’s go.” 

 

They walked to the elevator in silence, and Lance used his ID to summon the carriage. It was unnerving how much those simple interactions with the team had dampened his mood. And they had mainly been positive too. 

 

As they stepped onto the elevator, Keith said, “You could just tell Hunk you miss him.”

 

Lance scowled. “Says the one who locks himself in the training room for three days when he’s in a mood.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “I’m older now. Wiser.”

 

“Keep telling yourself that.” 

 

The elevator reached the proper floor and they stepped out. Lance started quickly walking down the hall, and Keith doubled his pace to keep up. Lance walked faster. Keith kept up. By the time they were halfway down the hall, both boys were sprinting - weaving around humans in their unspoken race. Lance was ahead by barely a hair as they crashed through a set of open glass doors, dropping their bags just inside. Lance seemed determined to keep going.

 

Keith launched himself at the other boy, tackling him down on the soft floor. He expected Lance to give up, and almost missed it when Lance reached around and tried to pull him into a submission hold. Keith grabbed his arm and quickly twisted it behind his back, turning his body over as he did so. 

 

“Ow, ow - “

 

“I win.” Keith said simply, letting him up. Keith sat back on the floor and Lance rolled onto his back, trying to catch his breath. 

 

“Cheater.”

 

“How did I cheat? You just haven’t been practicing. Did you even work out in the past week?” 

 

“I ran every night. And swam.” Lance sat up and looked at something behind Keith. “We have an audience.” 

 

There was a loose knot of Elites standing by one of the walls. Lance scowled at a few of the younger ones. Had they gone to school with them? 

 

“I can’t believe McClain is in charge of this.” a voice rang clear through the air. “All he was ever good for was a joke.” 

 

Lance’s face dropped. Keith stood and pulled Lance up, then walked towards the group. 

 

“Who exactly are you?” he asked the one who had spoken. 

 

The Elite drew himself up to full height, but looked annoyed. “Reid. We actually we in History of Aviation - “

 

“If you aren’t here to learn from Lance, what are you doing in my gym?” Keith asked flatly. 

 

Reid gaped at him. 

 

“Well?” 

 

“We thought Shirogane - “ 

 

“Lance and I have fought side by side for a long time. We have more experience than everyone in this room combined. If you don’t think we can teach you anything, you can leave.” 

 

No one moved. 

 

“Training starts tomorrow at noon.” Keith said flatly. “Be prepared to work.”

 

Lance had that smirk on his face and Keith knew he was about to say something that would piss everyone off. Keith had never been happier to see it. 

 

“Keep in mind that we’re preparing for a war,” Lance added, “not forming a Takashi Shirogane fan club.” 

 

Reid flushed bright red and Lance turned and focused on Keith. “Did you want to spar today?” 

 

“I was thinking we could test out the battle bot.” 

 

“Awesome. I wonder if any of our old simulations are on there. I tried to beat some of them myself, but we designed everything for two and I couldn’t get the close up stuff. I had it all calibrated for you so it was way too fast. I think one of them broke my ribs at one point.”

 

Lance kept babbling as they picked up their bags and headed for a locker room on the side. As soon as they were alone again, Lance sighed and dropped onto a bench. “That went well.” 

 

“It’s to be expected.” Keith told him, putting down his bag. “They’re Elites. To them, we’re just a couple of dumb kids who literally dropped out of the sky.” 

 

“They’re supposed to be volunteers. They’re supposed to want this.” 

 

“On some level they do. Doesn’t mean they’re gonna like it.” Keith smirked at him. “Takashi Shirogane fan club, huh? I thought you’d be the President of that.” 

 

“Shut up.” Lance lay down on the bench as Keith selected a locker. “I wish there was a way we could like...kick their asses to prove them wrong. Without hurting them.” He frowned slightly. “Cept Reid. We can hurt him.” 

 

Keith considered it. “How fast do you think we could build an arena for paintball?” 

 

“Paintball?”

 

“Well, you need to be able to use a blaster, right? And I can pull together some sort of paint-blade for myself.” Keith considered. “And if you get Reid at close range, he’ll be bruised for weeks.” 

 

Lance sat up with a grin. “This is why you’re Black Paladin. You’re brilliant. Two against twenty? It’ll be the easiest mission we’ve had in six months.” 

 

~*~

 

It was easy. Pitifully easy. 

 

Keith and Lance found an unused building on the base, and used that for their arena instead. They took the Elites there first thing the next day, told them to choose a paint weapon and hide. If they lasted over twenty minutes, they won.

 

The match was over in ten. 

 

It wasn’t that any of the Elites weren’t good fighters. Many of them were pretty good shots, according to the stat sheet that Keith had. Keith wasn’t sure what Lance’s stats looked like these days, but all the training he had been doing probably meant he was even better than before. The problem was that Lance and Keith worked far too well as a team. The problem was that Keith was ruthless. The problem was that Lance had saved Reid for last, just to rub salt in the wound. 

 

Keith stood in front of the paint-covered Elites with Lance just behind him. Many of the Elites still looked dazed. Pidge had showed up to watch the match and sat off to the side nibbling on cookies.

 

“We’re here to teach tactics.” Keith was telling them. “The Galra are fierce warriors, their entire culture built on blood and glory. Victory or Death. Lance and I didn’t win because of skill, though that is a big part of it. We could each easily have done this exercise individually.” 

 

“Might have taken me more time.” Lance said, picking paint flakes off his hands. “Red, you might have managed it in ten.” 

 

Keith ignored him. “Lance and I won because we worked as a team. Not one of you considered grouping up, and it made it much easier. This is a war. The prize at the end is surviving till the next day.”

 

“That means knowing the abilities of the people around you, and trusting them.” Lance said, stepping forward and glaring around. “Most of you with headshots I got because you kept pushing each other out of the way to get to us. Keith and I work as a unit. We have to be closer than best friends, more aware than lovers. If we aren’t, someone gets killed.”

 

“We can’t force trust.” Keith said. “But we can teach you how a Galra fights. If you don’t want this, leave now. I’m sure I can find a replacement.” 

 

No one moved. 

 

“Everyone hit the showers. We’re starting tomorrow with a six am run. If you’re late, you’re running at three pm instead.” 

 

The Elites slowly returned their paintball gear and walked towards the shuttle that had taken them out to the building. Pidge approached and snickered at the bright blue paint on Reid’s butt. 

 

“You’re totally going to force their trust in each other, aren’t you?” she asked. 

 

Keith shrugged. “It’s how we learned.” 

 

“Taking a break, Pidge?” Lance asked. “That’s unlike you.” 

 

“I wanted some fresh air.” 

 

He frowned at put the back of his hand on her forehead. “You feeling alright?” 

 

She scowled and swatted him off. Lance smiled slightly and rested his gun on his shoulder, the barrel pointed skyward. He grinned at Keith. “You were very leader-like. Very, ‘You’re gonna hate me and love me for it’. So you.”

 

Keith pushed him towards the golf cart Pidge had arrived in. “Whatever, Mr Closer-than-Lovers.” 

 

Lance’s cheeks turned pink. “I was making a point. And that’s not what I said!”

 

Pidge grinned. “No, you said, ‘more aware than lovers’, which is arguably worse. I had no idea you two were so intimate.” 

 

Lance sputtered and Keith felt a swooping sensation in his stomach, but pushed it aside. “Let’s go eat. I think Hunk said he made sandwiches.”

 

~*~

 

After the paintball stunt where they proved they knew what they were doing, the Elites gave them less problems. It felt good to be busy again, and it hardly felt like work. Reid continued to give Lance attitude, even if he held a begrudging respect for Keith. So Lance continued to try to convince Keith to drop Reid off in the middle of Appellation Virginia and tell him to make his way back. 

 

Keith planned for six days of work, a day of rest, and then the following week they’d start working with the battle bots. Lance coordinated visits from Krolia, Jierrieh, and other freedom fighters to observe training sessions and pretend to make comments to himself and Keith, making the Elites nervous. One memorable session Krolia even joined, knocking Patterson flat on his ass with a single finger. 

 

Keith and Lance usually spared after sending the Elites away for the day, and Keith was a little shocked how seriously Lance took it. He used to have to practically beg Lance to take a break from their teamwork simulations and fight each other. “You need to get better at hand to hand,” he’d say constantly. “I won’t always be able to rescue you.” 

 

And Lance would snort and say something like, “Who rescues who, Kogane?” 

 

And then Keith left, and maybe that was when Lance started practicing more. It still was amazing how much he had grown in Keith’s absence. Now when Keith flipped him down onto the mats, or pulled his bayard just short of his neck, his blue eyes hard with a determination Keith had never seen before, Keith would let him up and say, “Again.” 

 

And they would go again. And again. And again.

 

Sometimes the Elites stayed behind and watched. Looks of shock on their faces when they realized exactly how hard the two boys were hitting each other when the punches actually landed. Lance was a lot tougher than he looked, and Keith barely pulled his punches anymore. 

 

After that, Lance would go off somewhere to do God knew what, though Keith had a feeling he was spending a lot of time with Jierreh. Keith would check in with the rest of the team, mainly getting updates on the new ship. 

 

One afternoon he sat with Allura as they made a call back to the Blade of Mamora. It was an exhausting conversation, but needed. At the end, they both slouched in their seats. 

 

“How’s Lance?” Allura asked him out of nowhere. 

 

Keith frowned. “Why are you asking me?” 

 

She looked away. “I don’t think he wants to talk to me. I think...I think I hurt him.” 

 

Keith rubbed his face. He didn’t want to have this conversation. 

 

“He’s sweet, but - “

 

“Allura, did you know he died?” Keith interrupted, feeling momentary guilt for breaking his promise to Lance. 

 

Screw it. This conversation he could handle. Lance’s feelings for Allura...not even Lance had talked to him about that. He wouldn’t touch it with a ten foot pole.

 

Allura looked horrified. “Oh, no. He knows?”

 

“You knew?” 

 

“He never said anything. I thought...he just thought he passed out.” 

 

“Why didn’t you ask him?” 

 

“I didn’t want to scare him.” She closed her eyes. “I wasn’t even completely sure what I did until I transferred Shiro back from the Black Lion. Lance was...barely gone. It wasn’t the same. But he was still...I thought he didn’t remember.” 

 

Keith rubbed his face again. “He’s not talking to anyone because he thinks no one cares about him.” 

 

Allura’s voice was surprisingly fierce. “That’s not true at all. We wouldn’t have Voltron without Lance.” 

 

“Maybe you should tell him that once in a while.” 

 

Allura looked thoughtful as he left the room. That night, when they all ended up eating pizza in Pidge’s lab, Allura made an effort to talk to Lance. Lance looked a little wary at first, but relaxed quickly enough. 

 

Their rest day fell on a Friday, and everyone else was working on their own various projects. Keith had somewhat planned it that way, figuring he’d take advantage of the quiet house to do some laundry and stare at his blank sketchbook for a bit. He went on a run first thing, giant blue fluff ball chasing after him. 

 

He was awake too early. His laundry was done by ten, and now he had nothing to do. He went outside and studied the hoverbike Shiro had just finished putting back together. Maybe he could go for a ride down the coast. 

 

His communicator buzzed, and then buzzed again. Then a third time before Keith could even get it out of his pocket. He sighed and looked at the screen. Lance. 

 

**Lance: Keith, SOS**

**Lance: Call me. I need help.**

**Lance: Please call ASAP.**

 

Keith pressed the button to call him, holding the screen up for a better view point. Lance picked up immediately, and Keith heard screaming in the background. 

 

“Thank God you’re up.” Lance sighed. “I need help.”

 

“What’s going on?” Keith asked, looking him over. He didn’t look like he was in pain. 

 

“So, everyone’s at work and they left me to babysit all the kids and I need you to please, please come and help me.” There was a loud crash. “Dios, I hope that’s not bad.” 

 

“Where are you?”

 

“I locked myself in the bathroom. They’re monsters, Keith. I don’t know how else to explain it.”

 

“Well, they’re related to you.” 

 

“I was a perfect angel as a child. Keith, please help.” 

 

“Lance, you know I’m not good with kids.” 

 

“Yes you are. You do great with all the refugee kids we’ve helped.” 

 

“That’s different. Look, have you asked anyone else? What about Hunk?” 

 

“He’s probably busy.” There was that probably word again, but Lance was already charging ahead with his argument. “Look, you don’t even have to talk to them. You can just stand in the corner for all I care. I just need someone who isn’t family here so that they behave.”

 

Keith hated himself for considering it. Lance looked so desperate. And so convinced Keith could help. And honestly he didn’t have anything else to do. And Lance could make just about anything fun. Plus this was one of the rare occasions Lance actually asked for help, and they were supposed to be friends. 

 

“Help me, Obi-wan Keith. You’re my only hope.” Lance said in a small voice. “That’s a Star Wars reference, by the way.”

 

“I know what Star Wars is, jackass.” Keith sighed. “Alright, send me coordinates and I’ll be there in half an hour.” 

 

“Thank you. I owe you big time.” 

 

“Yeah, you do.” 

 

Lance took a deep breath. “Alright. I’m going back out there. If I’m dead before you get here, you’re in charge of burning my porn collection before my mother finds it.” 

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Such an honor.” 

 

Lance hung up and a minute later Keith’s phone buzzed with the coordinates. What had he gotten himself into? 

 

~*~

 

**_For the warning signs I've completely ignored,_ **

**_There's an amount to take, reasons to ignore._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, not the longest chapter ever, but breaking it up like this made sense. The next one will be really long.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith is in way over his head.

 

**Keith is on a beach, and it’s night time. Huge waves crash onto the shore, and he’s scared. He’s so scared. He strips off his shirt and runs straight into the waves, chasing a dark figure he can see in the water. He has to save him. He can’t let him do this.**

 

**The undertow is strong, and Keith isn’t a fantastic swimmer. Before he even realizes what’s happening, he’s pulled under the surface and flipped over and over. He has no idea which way the surface is and everything is so dark. He’s being pulled out into the black water as his lungs burn.**

 

**Strong arms grip him around his middle, pulling him in a direction that he’s sure is wrong, and he fights for a moment before his head breaks the surface. He gasps for the air, choking as he gulps down a good bit of seawater.**

 

~*~

 

Lance didn’t live in Varadero Beach, he never tired of explaining. Varadero Beach was a collection of resorts and hotels. His father was a General Manager at one of them. When he was a kid, he and his siblings were often watched by various maids at the resorts, resulting in their Spanish including a lot of Mexican slang. He spent his summers swimming in the pools and then later Lifeguarding. His brother met his wife at the surf shop on the beach that he owned. His mother and sister, both being Marine Biologists, worked to keep tourists from disturbing the natural wildlife. 

 

Lance’s family technically lived in the next town over, which he always said still had culture. He just ended up spending a lot of time in Varadero, and when people asked where he was from it was easier to say the name of a place they had actually heard of.  

 

Keith sped down the Floridian coast and jumped onto the new speedway Lance had told him about. It was a relatively easy trip, and no traffic. He had strapped the cosmic wolf into the seat behind him, trusting him to sit perfectly still as he broke just about every speed limit there was. He wasn’t in any rush, he just loved the feeling. All too soon, he was leaving the speedway and driving through Cuban coastline. It was slower - there were hover cars and people everywhere. The ocean was a brilliant blue color that winked at him in the sunlight. 

 

Eventually he came into the right town, and his electronic map blipped at him to turn inland. There was a small, vibrant boardwalk that contrasted with the dated but colorful town buildings. Everywhere around him teens lounged on street corners and old men sat in cafes. Some younger kids kicked a soccer ball in the street. 

 

He drove in maybe two blocks and turned again, the map blipping more urgently as he got close. Finally, he stopped outside an old yellow house surrounded by a lush garden. He could see a chicken coop in the back, and Kaltenecker tied up nearby. Lance had mentioned that his cousin was going to pick him up soon, but his mother was not happy with having a cow saying in the yard. 

 

Keith got off the bike and turned to unstrap the wolf, but in a flash of blue light he was already on the ground next to him. It was disgustingly hot, but there was a decent breeze that even reached here with the scent of the ocean. Keith took off his helmet and tied up his hair, wondering if he was in the right place. 

 

He didn’t have to wonder for long. There was a loud bang and he whipped around. The door of the house was flying open and a young boy rocketed outside, screaming as a pink streak of a girl chased after him. Two smaller boys ran after them, giggling and shoving each other out of the way. The first boy caught sight of Keith and stopped short, the other kids slamming into him and all four of them landing in a pile. Someone in the house was yelling something in Spanish. The kids stared up at Keith with wide eyes and he stared back. 

 

This was such a bad idea. How did Lance always manage to talk him into such bad ideas?

 

“Oh, it’s just you. Thank God. Hey, Ziggy!” 

 

Keith looked up and saw Lance walking out onto the porch. A tiny girl with her hair in pigtails clung to his shorts and had her other hand in her mouth. The cosmic wolf bounded up to Lance and licked his hand in greeting. He inspected the tiny girl next, but zapped himself back to Keith when she reached to pet him with a spitty hand.

 

This was a horrible idea. 

 

“Quien es ese?” One of the boys demanded. 

 

“English.” Lance sighed. “That’s Tio Lance’s friend Keith. He’s here to play.” 

 

Keith was not here to play.

 

“Keith, this is...my sister’s twins Sandy and Joel. Marco’s boys Luis and David and this little angel is his daughter Rosa.” 

 

“How old are you?” Joel demanded. 

 

“Twenty.” Keith told him. 

 

“I’m seven. You’re too old to play.” 

 

With that decision, he ran into the backyard, screaming for Luis and David to come with. Sandy looked thoughtfully up at Keith. Lance picked up Rosa and walked off the porch. 

 

“Are you Tio Lance’s boyfriend?”

 

Keith sputtered and Lance whipped around. “What? No. Keith is not my boyfriend.”

 

“Mama says you talk about him so much cause you luuuurve him.”

 

Lance scowled, red faced, and leaned closer to the little girl. “Well your mama better shut up or else La Llorona will come.”

 

Keith remembered La Llorona. His father told him scary stories about her. It was a Mexican folktale, he knew. La Llorona usually hung out by rivers and cried as she looked for her lost children. 

 

“La Llorona?”

 

“La Llorona comes in the middle of the night. She gobbles up little girls to punish mommies for gossiping.”

 

Her eyes were wide with fear as she whispered, “You’re lying.”

 

“She sneaks in the window on a full moon...a full moon like tonight…”

 

She shrieked and ran away, chasing after her brother and cousins. Lance glanced at the judgemental look Keith was giving him. “What?”

 

“Why are you traumatizing your seven year old niece?”

 

“Please, she’ll be fine.” A maniacal grin slid over his face. “She’ll drive Vero nuts though. Thanks for coming.”

 

“Uh, sure?” 

 

“Come on, they won’t kill each other for at least ten minutes. I’ll give you the tour.”

 

Lance’s house was an explosion of color and toys, and smelled like warm bread with a slight undertone of Fabuloso. Every bedroom had an air mattress made up, and Lance explained that pretty much all of his siblings and their families were staying here for the weekend to see him. His brother Luis, the musician, had canceled the second half of his tour to come home. The house was completely overcrowded. 

 

“This is me.” Lance said, pushing open the door to a room painted the color of the ocean two blocks away and covered in all sizes of clothes. “I’ve had the boys in here with me so it’s a little more chaotic than usual.” 

 

Keith stepped in and looked around. NASA poster on the wall. A collection of swim team trophies on the dresser, most of them for second place. Keith didn’t know why that sort of made his heart hurt. There was a small stack of developed photographs tossed onto the bed. Keith could see the one of him on top, with several shots of the beach and fishermen underneath. A framed photo of Lance, Hunk and Pidge in Garrison uniforms sat on the nightstand. They looked so young. 

 

“We should probably go outside.” Lance sighed. “I’m gonna grab a few things. Here, hold Rosa.” 

 

Before Keith even knew what was happening, the toddler was shoved into his arms. He started to panic.

 

“Lance - “

 

“You won’t break her.” Lance said, his eyes wide. “Promise. She’s very shy, so she won’t talk to you. But she’s tougher than she looks.”

 

“Like her tio?” Keith guessed warily.

 

A grin spread across Lance’s. “Yeah. Come on.”

 

Lance grabbed a shoe box, a table cloth, and a bowl of water from the kitchen and led Keith out a backdoor. The kids were tossing a soccer ball over the head of the cosmic wolf, who looked at each one expectantly. When he saw Keith he zapped over to him.

 

“So cool.” Joel moaned, sounding just like Lance.

 

Lance spread a the tablecloth on the grass in the shade and opened the box. “Thanks so much for coming, man.” he was saying. “I know this is the last thing you want to be doing but I really, really appreciate it.” 

 

“It’s fine.” 

 

It wasn’t really fine, but it was far too late now. Lance was taking sheets of paper out of the box, and several pots of paint. Keith set Rosa on the blanket and she immediately went for the paints. 

 

“Alright.” Lance said. “You are going to finger paint with Rosa. You’ll get along great. Just make sure she doesn’t try to drink the paints. Princesa?”

 

Rosa looked up at Lance.

 

“Se bueno con Keith, eso?” 

 

She looked up and pointed at Keith. “Keef?” 

 

“Oh, quiznack, that’s adorable.” Lance mumbled. “Okay, I’m going to try to tire the other monsters out.” 

 

Lance jogged over to the older kids, scooping the ball out of the air and tossing it to the ground. He started to guard the space between the chicken coop and a tree, taunting the kids. Rosa stuck her fingers in a pot of yellow paint and splashed it across a blank page. 

 

Maybe this wasn’t so bad. He could handle finger painting. 

 

Keith stretched out on the table cloth and watched the game for a bit. Lance was making over dramatic dives for the ball, letting anything David, the youngest, shot through and blocking a few of the shots from the others. Just enough to encourage and just enough to make them better.

 

Lance was like that in their training sessions, too. Usually Keith just barked orders and let Lance encourage the Elites. Or insult them. During their morning runs he usually brought up the rear, helping the stragglers keep up. He could bring out the very best in people, or the very worst. He always had that effect on Keith too. 

 

“Keef!” 

 

Keith looked up just in time for a tiny hand covered in pink paint to pat his cheek. The little girl giggled and smiled for the first time since Keith arrived. 

 

“Pretty.”

 

Keith smiled. “Yeah. Pretty.” 

 

Eventually Keith was painting too, though Rosa seemed to have more interest in painting Keith than the paper Lance had put out. Soon he was covered in squiggles and hand prints and swipes of bright colors, but he didn’t mind. The cosmic wolf stretched out in the shade, relaxing in spite of the cloying heat. The air was heavy with the scents of mango and papaya, and once in a while a breeze brought in a whiff of salt and fish. . 

 

Lance had gone inside and gotten his camera, and was taking shots of the kids playing. Or, trying to. David didn’t seem to understand that in this case he wasn’t supposed to stand still for the picture, and soon Joel was standing still too because Lance was getting more and more annoyed. Keith’s communicator buzzed and he reached into his pocket and accepted the call. 

 

“Keith! Hey, buddy!”

 

“Hey, Hunk. What’s up?”

 

“...Why are you covered in paint?” 

 

“I, uh, I’m helping Lance babysit. In Cuba.” Keith turned the phone to show Rosa, working on painting his legs, and then to show the soccer game and its photographer. “He was pretty desperate.” 

 

Hunk was frowning. “Right.”

 

“Why did you call?” 

 

“I knew it was your day off, but I thought if you were around you’d want to see some of the progress we’ve made.” He paused, and sounded hurt. “Why didn’t Lance call me?” 

 

“He said you were probably busy. Why didn’t you call Lance?” 

 

“You know how boring he finds this stuff.”

 

Keith frowned. Lance wasn’t bored by the building of the new ship. At lunch yesterday he harassed Pidge for nearly an hour to make the Paladin’s rooms bigger. 

 

“And, like, he probably wants to stay here. On Earth.” 

 

“Did he tell you that?” 

 

“No, but...his family is here. He’s got everything he wants here.” Hunk coughed. “Look, uh, have fun with your finger painting. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

 

The screen went black and Keith sighed, looking back at his finger painting of a beach at sunset. The sky was marmalade colored, like from his future memories of his...honeymoon? 

 

He pocketed his phone and looked up at Lance again. It was like Hunk didn’t even know the Blue Paladin anymore. Lance had his problems with wanting to leave the team, but most of that had to do with his own self confidence. There was such a fire in Lance lately, like he actually had a purpose again.

 

But he did raise an interesting point. Everything Lance wanted was here. The first time he left, it wasn’t like he had a choice. Keith felt that he still didn’t have a choice - they were chosen. This was their cross to bear. Lance...Lance always saw things differently. 

 

Keith painted a cabana on the beach, using a fingernail to add texture to the straw roof. The soccer game was starting to slow down. Eventually Lance wandered over to the table cloth and laughed at the mess Rosa had made of Keith’s skin and shirt. 

 

“Well, she didn’t drink it.” Keith muttered.

 

Lance raised the camera and took several shots, then looked down at Keith’s picture. “Hey, that’s really good.” 

 

“Don’t act so shocked. I do have hobbies.” Keith grumbled. “Or, I did.” 

 

“Can I have this?” 

 

Keith looked up in surprise. “Sure.” 

 

Lance picked up the still wet painting and smiled. “Ima keep this forever. From my favorite Keef.” 

 

“If you start calling me that at the Garrison, you’re dead.” 

 

Lance grinned mischievously. “No promises. Hey, I told the kids we’d watch a movie and they’ll probably fall asleep. You should get cleaned up.” 

 

“Tio Lance! I wanna watch Frozen!” 

 

“No way! Elsa is so stupid!”

 

“Take that back!”

 

Lance gave a long suffering sigh, then looked down at Rosa with a brilliant smile. “Princesa, look at this mess!” 

 

Rosa held up her paint covered hands, and Lance carefully picked her up, trying not to smudge Keith’s painting. Rosa’s hands ended up in his hair, paint leaving behind bright colors and making it stick out as weird angles. Lance turned and shouted at the twins to stop arguing and help Keith clean up. He herded the younger ones inside as Sandy and Joel helped Keith put lids on all the paint and put everything back in the box. 

 

“What Lion do you fly?” Joel asked.

 

“Black.”

 

“That’s the head, right? Tio said the head is the leader, and he is the right hand. He said that means he’s your back up. That he has to save you all the time.” 

 

Keith smiled slightly. Sounded exactly like Lance. “That’s right.” 

 

“Why is Tio’s armour blue and his gun is red? He thinks he hid it but I found it when he was sleeping. The gun doesn’t work though.”

 

“Which one is the pink girl?” Sandy demanded. “Tio says she’s a princess, but I don’t believe him. I know all the princesses and I’ve never heard of her. Tio makes up stories all the time.” 

 

“No he doesn’t! Tio Lance always tells the truth.”

 

“Nu-uh.”

 

Keith found if he just let them keep talking he didn’t really have to say anything. It was one of his favorite tactics in large groups. He finished folding the table cloth and followed the twins inside the house. Lance had washed Rosa’s hands and face, and was settling her in a crib for a nap. He pointed Keith towards a bathroom and handed him a new shirt, muttering something about needing to wash his own hair. The kids were back to arguing over what movie to watch. 

 

Keith washed his arms, legs and face in the bathroom sink and changed into the purple shirt Lance had leant him. It was a little tight on him. He could hear Lance yelling for the kids to shut up and  _ just pick one  _ before he picked for them. 

 

Keith sighed and picked at a flake of paint in his hair. The shirt matched his eyes exactly. He folded his paint stained shirt and tossed it into Lance’s room before finding his way back to the living room. David and Luis were curled up on the carpet on a bean bag chair, David already fighting to keep his eyes open. Joel plopped down cross legged. 

 

Lance loaded an ancient Scooby Doo movie into the player and sat on one end of the couch, pulling Sandy into his lap even though she squirmed. Keith sat on the other end of the couch and picked at paint under his nails. It had been years since he’d had that problem. Lance let Sandy sit on the floor with the boys as the movie started. 

 

It was barely ten minutes before heads started to drop. Lance reached over and tapped Keith on the knee, and motioned towards the front door. Silently, they both stood and left the room. The TV was pretty loud, but David and Luis were already asleep. The twins watched the cartoon with glazed eyes. 

 

“Thanks again for coming.” Lance said softly, running a hand through spiky wet hair. 

 

“It’s...I actually had fun.” 

 

Lance’s face brightened. “Really?”

 

“Yeah. Just, don’t ask me to do it again.” 

 

He shrugged. “Fair enough. Hey, you should get out of here before they wake up. They’re going to be right back at 200%. Hopefully by then they’ll be someone else’s problem.” 

 

“Are you sure?”

 

“Trust me, save yourself. I’ll see you tomorrow.” 

 

“Yeah. Six am.”

 

“Can’t I sleep in tomorrow? I did like ninety percent of the work today.” 

 

“Do you want to run in the middle of the afternoon?”

 

The front door opened suddenly, making both boys jump and turn. Keith found himself reaching for a knife before he realized where he was. Before he remembered the four obnoxious angels sleeping in the next room. Lance was feeling for a bayard that would not materialize, then stopped and gasped for breath.

 

The woman who had picked Lance up from the Garrison was walking into the house, taking a bag filled with papers off her shoulder. She was wearing a blood red skirt today, and didn’t pay any attention to the paladins as she came inside and hung up her keys. 

 

“Mama! I didn’t hear the car.” 

 

“Lance! Why is there a motorcycle in my driveway? You know I hate those things!” She looked past her son and saw Keith. “Oh. We have a guest.”

 

“This is Keith.” Lance winced at the motorcycle comment. “My friend. Keith, this is my mom, Rubina.” 

 

Her eyes widened in realization. “El Negro?” 

 

“Well, we’re kinda going by armour color so...really he’s El Rojo?”

 

Keith offered her his hand to shake, hearing his father and Shiro both breathing down his neck about politeness, and Rubina took it, then used it to pull him into a tight hug. Shocked, Keith stood there frozen and tried not to panic. 

 

“Mama!” Lance shouted. “He’s not a hug person!” 

 

Rubina released him immediately. “I’m so sorry! I was just so excited. We’ve heard so much about all of you.”

 

“It’s okay.” Keith muttered, trying to find his voice.

 

“Keith came to hang out and help with the kids.” Lance explained. “Mama, they’re too much. I don’t know how you do it.” 

 

“Hello Keith, it’s very nice to meet you. Are you staying for dinner?”

 

“Uhm…”

 

“Keith has a long trip home.” Lance said quickly. “He can’t stay.”

 

“He could stay the night if -”

 

“He also has his own family -”

 

“Hello, guapo.” 

 

A tall woman had just walked in and was grinning at Keith not unlike Lance grinned when he attempted to flirt with half of the female population of the universe. She had dark hair and eyes and was wearing a swimsuit with a sarong tied around her waist. A mesh bag in her hand held snorkeling equipment. Apart from her expressions, she didn’t look anything like her brother. 

 

“Staying for dinner? Forever?”

 

“Oh my god, Vero.” Lance moaned. “Seriously?”

 

“Keith, you should stay.” Rubina was insisting. “I want to thank you for helping Lance with the kids today.”

 

“It’s not a -”

 

“He’s good with kids?” Veronica was still grinning. “You know, our cousin Maria is your age -”

 

“Dios mio, stop.” Lance moaned.

 

“I’m gay.” Keith muttered awkwardly.

 

“Well, in that case, there’s always Lance!”

 

“Veronica!”

 

“He’s not as pretty as you but I swear he can occasionally be funny.”

 

“Vero, leave them alone.” Rubina muttered through a smile.

 

“What? He’s beautiful. We need to add him to the family somehow.”

 

Sandy dashed around the corner. “Mama! Mama! Stop! La Llorona will come!”

 

“Que?”

 

“She eats little girls who have gossiping mommies!”

 

Veronica whipped around and glared at her brother. “What did you do?”

 

Lance cackled and snatched up a camera sitting by the door. “I’m showing Keith the boardwalk, bye.”

 

“Dinner’s in two hours!” Rubina called as Lance grabbed Keith’s arm and bolted out the door.

 

They escaped into the bright sunlight, though the shadows were starting to get longer. They started walking towards the road, and Keith whistled for the space wolf, who had stayed sleeping outside. He immediately zapped over to Keith’s side. 

 

“You don’t have to stay, you know.” Lance said. “I can tell her you got called away.” 

 

Keith considered the dinner that was probably waiting for him at home. Shiro’s idea of cooking was pathetic, to say the least. Krolia wasn’t much better. Keith decided it was okay to be selfish now and then.

 

“No, it’s alright. I can stay.” 

 

Lance rose his eyebrows. “Really.” 

 

“Uh-huh.” 

 

“You’ll meet my entire family. An entire room of loud, hugging, obnoxious Cubans.” 

 

“I put up with you.” 

 

“Well, message Shiro. So he knows when you return in a straight jacket it was your own choice, and I had little to do with it.”

 

Keith messaged Shiro as they walked, pausing now and then as Lance found something he deemed picture-worthy. It was a longer trip on foot than Keith had realized when he was on his bike. As they got closer to town, it got noisier. Music blasted from cafes, bells rang at arcade games, cars beeped, people shouted greetings and curses. 

 

Lance was babbling to Keith and pointing out landmarks, blatantly ignoring the way everyone who saw them gawked. Someone shouted Lance’s name and he looked up and waved at a passing car. The space wolf barked. 

 

A stiff breeze blew in off the ocean as they reached the boardwalk. The air smelled like fried dough and kids ran around with dripping ice cream cones. It seemed like a mix of tourists experiencing culture and locals coming out to enjoy their friday night. 

 

“You want a snack? I’m starving.”

 

“Your mother’s making us dinner.”

 

“So?”

 

Keith stopped short in front of one of the stalls with a shooting game. The ceiling of the shack was hung with...Lions. Stuffed versions of the five Lions. 

 

“That’s just weird.” Keith said. 

 

Shiro and Coran’s press campaign had only just started, but the Lions had been parked at Merritt Island for over two weeks. Everyone saw them. Everyone saw the recordings of them forming Voltron the first night they were back. But Keith hadn’t spent much time away from the base, so he had no idea what people thought.

 

“It’s not any different from anywhere else we go.” Lance shrugged. “We just never stick around long enough to see the hype.” 

 

“I guess.” 

 

“I don’t think they actually know anything about them, though. Not yet. They just think they’re really cool spaceships.” 

 

They had stopped walking to look at the stuffed Lions. They all swung in the breeze, knocking against each other. Lance turned and grinned at Keith. 

 

“Want me to win you one?” 

 

“What? No.”

 

“Come on, you know I can.” 

 

“Those games are rigged!” 

 

“A rigged game is the easiest to beat.” He laughed. 

 

“What? What’s so funny?” 

 

“It’s something my uncle always said.” Lance smiled. “And when my brother Luis was in high school, he always said it too. Cept he would always say, ‘Love is a rigged game, it’s the easiest to beat’.” 

 

“Is everyone in your family as insufferable as you?” 

 

“Hey, Cubans are better lovers. Don’t hate. Anyway, Luis was way worse than me and Vero combined. Until he fell in love. He met some girl on the beach and wrote like a thousand love songs and came here to play them every day. He’d mope around the house and drive my mom crazy. Vero and Marco teased him ruthlessly. He’d drag me with him to play second guitar sometimes.”

 

Keith had forgotten Lance could play. He always said he wasn’t that good, but Keith was starting to think that maybe he just wasn’t as good as his prodigy brother. 

 

“What happened?”

 

“Nothing. It turns out he met her on the last day of her vacation, and he never saw her again. He always says it was good though, because it led him to quit school and go on tour to find her.” 

 

“That’s…”

 

“Insufferable?” Lance guessed, nudging him. “I think it’s kind of beautiful.”

 

Of course he did.

 

They walked out onto the pier and paused then Lance saw a family friend and had to stop to say hello. Lance made a few quick promises and pulled Keith along, eventually finding and empty spot on the pier. They sat and swung their legs off the edge. Keith looked out at the horizon and twisted his fingers in the wolf’s blue fur. 

 

He tried to think of something to say. He knew what he wanted to ask, if Lance was planning on staying here, but he knew he couldn’t. Not now. That conversation could come when it needed to. 

 

There was a clicking noise and Keith looked around to see Lance leaning away and pointing the camera at him. 

 

“Will you stop?” Keith groaned. 

 

Lance grinned and lowered the camera, and then turned the screen towards Keith. “But you look so pretty, Keef.” 

 

There was something oddly familiar about that photo, but Keith couldn’t place it. There was pink paint behind his ear, and the wolf’s tongue hung out of his mouth. The sun was starting to set, making the clouds in the sky gold. 

 

“Hey, you’re getting better.” Keith praised. 

 

Lance smiled. “Thanks. You know, maybe this is my normal life thing.” 

 

“Your what?” 

 

“The thing you’ll do with yourself when the war is over. Maybe I’ll just relax and take photos.” Lance carefully turned off the camera and replaced the lense cover. “What will you do?” 

 

Keith considered it. “I don’t know. Never thought about it.” 

 

“Hm. Well, you should.” Lance tucked his legs under him and stood. “We should start to get back.”

 

~*~

 

When they got back to the yellow house, it was bursting with people. Keith felt somewhat fortunate that Lance talked so much about his family, so at least he had some idea of who was who. They met Lance’s father, Carlos, on the front porch. He smiled under a thick black mustache and shook Keith’s hand, but Keith could feel his eyes on him as they all went into the house.

 

Lance was the youngest of four, and much younger at that. The photos on the shelves often depicted Lance just in elementary school with young teenage siblings. All the older siblings seemed to take after their father - dark hair, dark eyes, darker skin than their brother. Lance had his mother’s eyes and freckles. 

 

Marco, who owned the surf shop with his wife Trinity, was the oldest. He was a hulking mass that would probably look exactly like his father in a few years, contrasted with his tiny blonde wife. He had been the family athlete, the star wrestler and soccer captain and surfer. When they walked into the house, Marco had David and Luis hanging from his arms like weights, but grinned as he greeted Keith. Trinity smiled and shook his hand, saying Rosa had loved painting with him. Rosa hid her face in her mother’s hair.

 

Then Vero, who had changed into a sundress and grinned wickedly at Lance before taking Keith to introduce him to Luis. Keith knew that Veronica had married young, just out of college, and her husband had died in a car accident shortly after the twins were born. She was incredibly smart, but her true love was being in the ocean with her mother, helping restore and maintain natural habitats. She had moved back in with her parents for help raising the kids, and when she was ready, to fix herself. 

 

Finally, Luis. Luis seemed to embody a lot of what Lance strove to be. His dark hair was a little longer than Lance’s, but perfectly straight. He had an easy smile and his mother was yelling at him for leaving his things all over the dining room table. Lance told him that he could have gone to Julliard, but decided he’d rather experience music than learn it. Whatever that meant. 

 

Lance rescued Keith from Veronica’s clutches, which was good because she was dropping hints about her other cousin Michael, and pulled him into the kitchen. Joel was being supervised by Trinity in mixing something while Rubina asked Lance to carry plates into the dining room for the table. Keith offered to help and four voices immediately shouted that he was a guest. 

 

Keith felt like all of his senses were being attacked as he helplessly bobbed along after Lance. This was almost worse than the kids earlier, but somehow felt...comfortable. They all were just extremely comfortable with each other, probably a result of so many people sharing a small house like this. 

 

Lance took the plates into the dining room and set them on the large table that Luis was clearing off. Mismatched chairs and high chairs were crammed in as best they could fit. He glanced back at Keith, and smiled slightly. 

 

“I did warn you.” 

 

Keith grimaced. 

 

“Don’t worry. I pre-booked a bed in the asylum for you.” 

 

“Hey, chanchito, help set the table.” 

 

Lance scowled at his brother. “Will you ever stop calling me that?” 

 

Luis grinned and ruffled his hair. “Nope.” He looked up at Keith. “It means little pig. Lance was a fat baby.”

 

“I was not fat.” Lance said flatly. “I was chubby.” 

 

“You could have stood in for the Michelin Man. His first Halloween, we wanted to dress him as Jabba the Hutt. Mama wouldn’t let us.” 

 

Lance looked like he was suffering in a special level of Hell, but Keith couldn’t help but laugh. There were a series of heavy footsteps and Marco flew into the room, immediately wrapping Lance in a headlock. Keith felt himself tense up by reflex, ready to dive in and separate them, half his brain screaming it was an attack and the other half whispering that they were just rough-housing. 

 

Before he could decide which side was right, Lance had rolled his older brother over his shoulder and slammed him to the ground. Luis’ eyes bugged out of his head and Keith stood there frozen. Lance’s face went from determined to horrified in a matter of seconds.

 

Marco coughed, then started to laugh. “What the - when did you learn to do that?” 

 

“What’s going on in here?” Veronica demanded, stepping into the room. “You burros are going to scare Keith off.” 

 

“I think you have that covered, Vero.” Luis muttered, shooting Keith a sympathetic grin. 

 

“Keith taught me.” Lance muttered, helping Marco up off the ground. “You can’t come up behind me like that, Marco. I could have broken something.” 

 

“Just my pride, eso.” Marco looked around at Keith. “You taught him? I’ve been trying to teach him for years! How did you make him?”

 

_ Because he had to. _

 

“Luis! Lance! Why isn’t the table set?” Rubina called from the kitchen. 

 

“Did you wrestle?” Marco was asking.

 

“No, I did martial arts before I got into the Garrison.” 

 

“That’s so cool! I always wanted to do MMA but there wasn’t a gym that was close.”

 

“Yeah, Lance, how come your friend is so much cooler than you?” Luis mocked. 

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “Yeah, yeah, Keith’s sooo great. Leaning against walls and scowling is like his life’s purpose.”

 

The older siblings looked over to observe Keith leaning and scowling at Lance, and burst into another fit of laughter. Rubina started yelling something from the kitchen, and Lance and Luis started working twice as fast, now with Marco and Veronica helping. 

 

Lance didn’t look like his siblings at all. His coloring was lighter, he was the only one with blue eyes. And he was so much younger than them. But as they frantically set the table, probably some childhood trauma involving chores kicking them into gear, Keith started so see that maybe they did look a bit alike. Veronica made the exact same facial expressions. Luis had Lance’s smile and smart ass remarks. Marco’s athletic frame was thicker than Lance’s, the difference between a wrestler and a swimmer, but still similar. 

 

“Hey, Keith, we should spar after dinner.” Marco grinned. 

 

“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Lance interrupted. 

 

“What’s wrong, hermanito? Worried I’ll break your friend?” 

 

“Marco, I’m serious.” Lance warned. “Drop it.” 

 

“Ohhhh, chanchito is serious.” Luis grinned. 

 

There was a planet they had stopped off at, forever ago, and Keith and Lance ended up separated from the group. This was back when they were barely friends, but at least recognized that they were teammates and had to protect each other. Keith also knew that Shiro would kill him if anything happened to Lance on his watch. 

 

They stopped to rest and get some food at a crappy bar that looked like it was straight out of an old Western movie, so of course Lance loved it. While they were sitting there, one of the patrons had leaned over and leered at Lance. He told him they looked lost and he was so pretty and could help them find their way if Lance made it worth his while, and put a hand on Lance’s thigh. Lance had frozen, probably thinking about all the times he had been a disgusting piece of hormonal trash and this was his punishment. 

 

Keith had crushed every bone in that hand without thinking. 

 

This, in some weird twisted way, was exactly like that moment. Keith was frozen, and Lance was reacting without even thinking. He didn't want to hurt Marco but he couldn't refuse without an explanation and even after Lance had body slammed him he still didn't get what his brother had become. What Allura, Shiro, and now Keith had turned him into. Lance’s voice had gained a dangerous edge to it, and Keith wondered if any of the siblings had heard it before. 

 

“Marco, when you can beat me up, I’ll let you fight Keith.” 

 

Keith doubted his bayard could slice through the tension in the room at that moment. Marco was staring at his youngest brother in shock, but Lance still looked determined.

 

Carlos walked into the room and frowned at his children. “What’s going on?”

 

“Nothing.” they chorused. 

 

“Hmph. Help your mother carry the food.” 

 

Lance, Luis and Marco left the room, Luis shoving Lance slightly. Carlos reached forward and slapped Luis on the back of the head. Veronica was studying Keith with interest. 

 

“Something wrong?” Keith asked. 

 

She pursed her lips and shook her head. “Haven’t seen that side of him before. Protective. But you’re acting like it’s normal.”

 

“You should see how he gets around Pidge.” Keith joked weakly. 

 

“Hmm.” 

 

Trinity herded all the kids into the room and got everyone into the right high chairs and seats. Lance came back with a bowl of rice and set it down, then put Keith in a chair and sat next to him. Everyone settled in and loaded up their plates. The space was tight, and Keith and Lance kept knocking elbows, but Lance was too busy inhaling his food to do anything about it. Keith couldn’t remember the last time he had seen the other Paladin eat like that.

 

In fact, he couldn’t remember the last time he had tasted food this good. He had no idea what half of it was other than it tasted amazing. Everyone seemed content to let him eat in silence, though as they talked about their days and their plans for the weekend he did get some curious looks. 

 

When Keith finished his third helping and finally felt full, everyone started cautiously asking him questions. About...everything. His mother. Shiro. Black. Was it true that Lance was  _ that good  _ with a gun? What did he think of the boardwalk?

 

It was all fine, all manageable, until Joel’s tiny voice spoke up. 

 

“I want to be just like Tio Lance!” 

 

The whole room stopped.

 

“Joel, eat your dinner.” Trinity said softly. 

 

“I’m gonna fly in a Lion! And fight aliens! Pew! Pew!” 

 

He held up finger guns, aiming at a devastated looking Lance. He tried to smile, but Carlos’ voice cut clear through the silence.

 

“No, you won’t.” he snapped. “One soldier is enough in this house.

 

“Papa.” Marco said softly. 

 

“We don’t need any more martyres like your tio.”

 

Lance stood up and walked out of the room. His favorite tactic these days. 

 

“How could you say that?” Veronica snapped at her father. “What’s wrong with you?”

 

“Vero - “

 

“Don’t speak to your father like that!” Rubina snapped, reaching over to smack her only daughter. 

 

“Then don’t let him speak to Lance like that!”

 

Luis was getting out of his seat. “I’ll talk - “

 

“No.” Keith found himself saying. He stood up. “I’ll go.”

 

“But - “

 

“It’s fine.” Keith said, he looked at Rubina. “I’ve got it.” 

 

Rubina nodded, and Keith took it as permission. He followed Lance out of the room, and behind him Rubina ordered the children to take their plates into the kitchen. Sandy started to argue, and Veronica repeated the order in Spanish. 

 

Keith found Lance sitting on the front steps, studying the houses across the street. He sat on the stoop next to him, wondering why the hell he volunteered to do this.

 

“Sorry you had to see that.” Lance said softly. “Big family, big drama.” 

 

Keith shrugged. “I mean, last time I got in a fight with Shiro he almost killed me, so…”

 

Lance snorted. “That should not be as funny as it is.” 

 

Keith smiled slightly. 

 

“The last thing I want is for Joel to be a Paladin.” Lance muttered, the smile sliding from his face. “I mean, look at us, Keith. We’re just...scar tissue and empty smiles at this point. I’m eighteen and I have way too much blood on my hands to even deserve to sit at the same table as those kids.”

 

“Lance - “

 

“It’s true.”

 

Keith sighed and cradled his forehead with a hand. He was never good at sugarcoating anything. 

 

“Yeah. You’re right.” He glanced over at Lance. “We have to do it though. So he won’t have to.” 

 

“I know. Doesn’t make it any easier.” Lance closed his eyes. “My father hates me for it.”

 

“No, he doesn’t.” Keith grimaced. 

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “You’ve known him for all of thirty dobashes.” 

 

“And I see how he watches you when you aren’t looking. He just wishes you didn’t have to go through any of it. You can’t be a hero without some damage.” He sighed. “I catch Krolia giving me that look all the time.”

 

Lance studied him. “You’re a lot more observant than people give you credit for.”

 

“Curse of being the shy, quiet kid.” 

 

“Hm.” 

 

They looked out at the darkening street again. There it was. Keith had his answer. Lance believed in the war, in the mission, in Voltron. And he’d stay a part of that team for as long as they’d let him. Because the smile on his nephew’s face was worth dying to protect. 

 

“Do you really think that?” Keith asked quietly. “That we’re just scar tissue and empty smiles?” 

 

“Sometimes.” 

 

“Keith?”

 

The boys turned around to see Rubina pushing open the door.

 

“May I talk to my son?”

 

Keith patted Lance on the shoulder, then stood and went back in the house. Rubina sat next to her youngest and said softly, “Mijo, we’re so proud of you.”

 

Inside, whatever conversation had been held cleared the dining room. Veronica was stacking dirty plates and Keith wordlessly started helping. 

 

“You don’t have to - “

 

“My father and my brother were always very particular about manners.” 

 

Veronica smiled slightly and led Keith into the kitchen. The kids plates were already scraped and placed in the sink. Keith put his stack on the counter. 

 

“Keith?” 

 

He turned around and looked at Veronica, who had her arms folded across her chest and a worried expression. Lance’s worried expression.

 

“I wanted to say thank you.” she said softly. “For looking out for my brother.”

 

“I - “

 

“I can tell how much you two care about each other. He doesn’t...I always worried about him, you know? He always seemed so...lonely. He always had friends but...and with us sometimes I wonder if he felt...overshadowed. Pushed aside.”

 

“He loves you guys. So much.” Keith said. “He talked about you...God, every day.” 

 

Veronica smiled slightly. “You know, when he disappeared, I thought that...maybe he had enough. That he ran away because we didn’t appreciate him enough...instead he’s out in space getting shot at, and honestly I don’t know which is worse.” 

 

“Lance doesn’t run away.” Keith looked up at her. “He’s brave and...I didn’t say this, but he’s the one person I can rely on.”

 

“He relies on you too. I’ve never seen him so open.” Her smile quickly faded. “Keith, he’s my baby brother. The war...when he talks about it there’s a lot I don’t understand. He calls minutes dobashes and I have no idea what a quiznack is but he’s taught it to the kids so I can only assume it’s bad. The scar on his back...I almost cried when I first saw it. Mama did cry. I know what you’re doing is important, but it scares me.”

 

“I - “

 

“Let me finish.” She shook her head. “I know you are planning on going back. Fighting.”

 

“I am.”

 

“Is Lance?”

 

“...yes. I think so.”

 

She took a deep breath. “I hope you understand that I have to ask you this. But please, please, don’t take him away again.”

 

Keith bit his lip. “I can’t promise that. It’s not up to me. I’m not sure if it’s really up to Lance.”

 

She looked down. Keith hesitated, then approached. He rested a hand on her shoulder.

 

“I can promise that I’ll look out for him.” he said softly. “I can promise I’ll do everything I can to make sure he survives.” 

 

Veronica looked at him with watering eyes, and Keith knew it was the stupidest promise he would ever make. 

 

“It’s not much.” he muttered. “And he does have a knack for getting hurt. But I will protect him as best I can.” 

 

“He’s lucky to have you.” 

 

“I’m lucky to have him.” Keith scowled for a second. “Though in the moments when I am I usually don’t think it.”

 

Veronica wiped her eyes and snorted. “He does have that effect on people.”

 

Keith stepped away and let her collect herself, rinsing a few plates and loading them into the dishwasher. After a moment, Veronica stepped forward and helped.

 

“Well, glad I got to bond with my new brother-in-law.”

 

“We’re not - I don’t - “ Keith sputtered. “He’s my best friend. That’s it.”

 

Veronica gave him a cheeky grin, but it didn’t quite hide the sadness in her eyes. How many times had he seen that exact combination in Lance? 

 

“Mhmm.” she smiled. “Sure.” 

 

Rubina and Lance came in, arm in arm. Lance took one look at Keith’s red face and turned on his sister. 

 

“Vero, what did you do?” 

 

“Nothing.” she sang.

 

“Veronica!” 

 

Lance was red faced and bitching Veronica out in rapid Spanish while she cackled and taunted him. Rubina took a plate from Keith’s hands and smiled kindly at him. He could tell she wanted to hug him again, but gently grasped his hand instead. 

 

“Thank you.” she murmured, so the arguing Lance and Veronica couldn’t hear them. 

 

“Of course.” Keith nervously scratched the back of his head. “I should get going.” 

 

“You’re welcome back anytime, Keith. Come for dinner whenever you feel like it.” 

 

“Thank you.” Keith looked over at Lance and Veronica. “Lance! I have to go.”

 

Veronica turned around. “So soon?” 

 

“He’s been here all day.” Lance pointed out. 

 

Veronica gave Keith a eerily familiar love-sick grin. “Bye, guapo.” 

 

Lance made a noise like a retching cat and pushed Keith out of the room. He quickly said goodbye to everyone and Lance walked him outside. He watched Keith strap the wolf into the seat. 

 

“So, thanks. Again.” 

 

Keith sighed. “Lance, stop thanking me for kid sitting. I did it to myself.” 

 

“Not just that.” Lance grimaced and shuffled his feet. “All of today. Hanging out. Dealing with that insanity. Not pulling a knife on my brother when he tackled me.” 

 

Keith winced. “I’m sorry. I just - “ 

 

“You reacted.” Lance shrugged. “It was your instinct. I mean, I did too.” 

 

“I didn’t think you noticed.”

 

“Of course I did. We’re a team, right?” 

 

Keith smiled. “Why wouldn’t you let him fight me?”

 

“I figured he’d end up with a broken spine, and you don’t need that kind of guilt.”

 

The screen door swung open and Rosa toddled out, Sandy holding the door for her. “Tio! Rosa wants Keith!” 

 

Lance ran back to the porch and scooped up the girl with a laugh. “Hey, look! Red’s got a fan! You want to say goodbye to Keef?” 

 

Rosa nodded furiously as Lance carried her over, standing close enough to Keith for Rosa to lean over and peck Keith’s cheek. Lance laughed in delight and Keith felt...weightless. 

 

“I think you two really bonded today.” he said. “The whole paint thing. I mean, I know how important  _ bonding moments _ are to you.” 

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Maybe she won’t be like her stupid uncle and actually remember it.” 

 

Lance was still standing a little too close, but he was turning and looking back at the yellow house. “I should probably get this one back to her mom. See you tomorrow?” 

 

“Yeah.” Keith stepped away and didn’t feel electric anymore. “Six am.” 

 

“Seven?”

 

“Six, Lance. Before it gets hot.” 

 

“That’s why we’re up running at such a god-awful time? You hate the heat? Dios, Keef, you’re so selfish - “ 

 

“It’s the humidity.” Keith grumbled. “I feel like I can’t breathe. Shut up. Be there on time so I don’t have to embarrass you in front of the Elites.” 

 

Lance was grinning as he turned away and walked towards the porch. “See you tomorrow, Kogane.” 

 

“Later, McClain.” 

 

Keith got on the hoverbike and started it up, looking back at the little yellow house. Lance was holding up Rosa’s hand to make her wave to him, and he waved back before putting on his helmet and pulling out of the drive. 

 

~*~

 

“Hello? Anyone home?” 

 

“Kitchen!” 

 

Keith tossed the bike’s power-stick on a table near the door and walked back into the cool condo. Shiro was sitting at the kitchen table, a cup of coffee and an open magazine in front of him. 

 

“Sorry I’m so late. Traffic was bad coming back.” 

 

“It’s alright.” Shiro shrugged. “How was Cuba?”

 

“Hot.”

 

“And Lance’s family?” 

 

Keith sat, his head swirling with everything that had happened that day. Pieces of Lance were clicking into place - overshadowed by his siblings, a great swimmer and guitarist and smart enough to get into the Garrison but not the best at anything, the fun uncle, and now everyone’s biggest concern. Someone surrounded by wonderful love stories and tragic ones, who could manage a gaggle of kids without treating them all like pets.

 

But they were all so  _ proud  _ of him. Even if they didn’t like the fact that he was fighting a war. Even if Lance didn’t see it.

 

“Imagine a house full of people exactly like Lance.” Keith said slowly. “Everyone is loud, and has no concept of personal space. But...genuine. Thoughtful.” 

 

Shiro was studying him. 

 

“What?”

 

“Did you learn anything today?” 

 

Keith sighed. “I don’t know. Honestly, my head hurts a little.”

 

“Hmm.” 

 

“Why are you still up?” 

 

Shiro shrugged, and Keith decided not to push the issue. His head really did hurt, and he didn’t need to make it worse. His chest felt strange too. 

 

“Where did you get that shirt?”

 

“Lance lent it to me. His niece decided to cover me in paint.”

 

“Hm. Well, he has good taste. Matches your eyes.”

 

“I noticed.” Keith grumbled. “His sister kept calling me guapo and trying to marry me off to her cousins. And Lance.”

 

Shiro snorted and Keith swallowed a lump in his throat.

 

“I’m going to bed.” 

 

“Sleep well.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

~*~

 

_**It's no big surprise you turned out this way** _

_**When they closed their eyes and payed you would change** _

_**And they cut your hair and sent you away** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know Lance's sister would be all over Keith. Don't lie.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Shit hits the fan, in more ways than one.

**Thank God Krolia was asleep.**

 

**This time was much, much worse. The feelings of warmth and love made him unable to look at his mother for an hour after one of his future relationship visions. This would be something else all together.**

 

**He had melted to his core. He was a groaning, sweating mess. Rough hands kept his hips steady while soft lips swallowed him whole, a tongue dancing along his length in synch with the yellow sheet-covered head bobbing at his middle.**

 

**A name fought to escape his lips, but it was over before he even knew what it was.**

 

~*~

 

The exercises with the battle bots were going better than Keith had expected. The Elites were more than up to the challenge, and made quick progress. Keith was starting to allow some of Jeirreh’s fighters to join in the exercises. 

 

A little over a week after Keith’s visit to Cuba, Pidge and Hunk finished their first project. A small fighter jet for the new castle. The idea was to build a smaller scale engine, shields and weapons system to test out before they started the larger versions. Pidge and Hunk had named all of their projects after Star Wars. So this was Project X-Wing. The new castle was Project Millenium Falcon. The list went on. 

 

Hunk had voiced caution, saying he wanted to build a second model before letting anyone fly it. But Pidge was so sure everything would work, so she was running full speed ahead. The ship was white with orange streaks like war paint, sort of tear drop shaped with huge jets in the back. Sleek wings on either side for atmosphere stability. If everything went well today, they could make it space-ready.

 

Keith couldn’t wait to fly it.

 

The whole team was going out to Texas to test out the new jet. The expansive, lonely desert meant less people seeing the strange ship. They rattled down an unpaved desert road in their small convoy - Keith driving the first jeep-like hover car with Lance in the passenger seat and Matt in the back. Shiro drove a larger truck hauling the new jet with Coran. Allura brought up the rear with Hunk and Pidge finishing up some last minute coding. For some reason she had brought a rocket launcher.

 

Lance looked relaxed in his white and blue armor as he studied the horizon, but his bayard was in riffle form and resting against his chest. When Matt pointed out that they were on Earth, ie safe, Lance just shrugged. Maybe it was a comfort thing. The desert landscape did seem familiarly alien. Like Zorgous Prime. Or Yeroba. 

 

Not like Matt was much better with a Garrison-issued pistol openly lying in the seat next to him.

 

Lance used to tease Keith about sleeping with a knife under his pillow. Now he was the one with the gun out like a sentry. Maybe his family was right to worry. 

 

Keith’s map blipped and he made a hand signal to the trucks behind him before slowing down. They stopped as one, and Matt got out of the car to help unload the jet. Lance cracked his neck. Hunk’s warnings that the ship may not be ready seemed to have resonated with him.

 

“You sure about this?” he asked.

 

“When has anything Pidge and Hunk built or fixed not worked?” 

 

“Yeah, well, first time for everything.” 

 

“You scared?”

 

“Never.” 

 

Keith was the obvious choice to pilot the test run. If something went wrong, he would be able to get out of the situation and hopefully save the ship. 

 

But when he said he wanted Lance to co-pilot the mission, everyone acted surprised and Keith had no idea why. Hunk quietly pointed out that Shiro was a better pilot, and Shiro had said, “We don’t need two pilots on this. We need someone to test the weapons systems.”

 

“Lance is my Right Hand, my Lieutenant.” Keith had snapped at Hunk after Lance left the room. What was Hunk’s problem lately? “He’s co-pilot. End of discussion.”

 

Lance climbed halfway out of the window, sitting on the door. He craned his neck back to feel the sun on his face. 

 

“It’s hot.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “So observant.” 

 

“Trial One of Project X-Wing.” Matt was saying, swinging a little video recorder around. “Our brave pilots, Red Paladin Keith Kogane and Blue Paladin Lance McClain. How are we feeling?”

 

Matt had bitched constantly about being reduced to his sister’s note taker, but he did seem to be enjoying this. 

 

“Fine.” Keith told him. 

 

“Like it’s really ironic if we made it all the way back home just to die in one of your sister’s contraptions.” 

 

“Hey, this thing takes pictures too. Give us a smile. For documentation.”

 

Out the window, Lance shifted. Keith could feel the moment happening. He couldn’t see Lance, but he knew exactly how the photo would turn out. Lance would point his bayard to the sky and give that brilliant grin. 

 

Keith leaned against the controls, and smiled. 

 

The jet was soon unloaded and Keith and Lance were strapping in. Pidge was leaning into the jet and pointing to several buttons. 

 

“Alright, remember, eject button. Just in case.”

 

“Got it.”

 

“Lance, you remember what you’re doing?”

 

“Shields up, few shots at the targets Coran set up, and then a nice little crop circle for the conspiracy nuts.” 

 

“Exactly.” Pidge looked up at them. “May the Force be with you.” 

 

Pidge backed down the ladder leaning against the ship, and her brother helped her move it. They jogged back to the control tent they had set up, Pidge turning on her comms as she ran. 

 

“Come in, X-Wing One.” 

 

“Loud and clear, Echo Base.” Keith said, looking over his controls. It was too late to stop indulging Pidge with her code names. “How are we looking?” 

 

“All clear on our end.”

 

“Lance?” 

 

“Final checks say go. Can we have music?”

 

“No.” 

 

Lance groaned. “No fun.” 

 

Keith input the flight sequence, and the jet smoothly rose up off the ground. He smiled slightly as he punched the controls and the jet shot forward. Next to him, Lance was cackling maniacally. Keith was in awe of how easily the jet turned to his lightest touch. 

 

“Pidge, this is beautiful.” he muttered. 

 

“I know,” was the smug reply. 

 

“Testing shields.” Lance announced. There was a click, then a zap of blue light as the shield surrounded them. After a moment, the blue tint faded. “Uh...it says they’re up, but I’m not sure - “

 

“Completely invisible particle barrier. The old one limited visibility. Alright, Hunk, fire away.”

 

“What?” 

 

Keith suddenly realized what the missile launcher in Allura’s car had been for.

 

“How did you think we were testing the shields, buddy? Alright, Keith, hold her steady. My aim’s not great.” 

 

“Dios, we’re gonna die.” Lance groaned. “Shiro, tell my mother I love her.”

 

Shiro chuckled over the comms. “Lance, relax.”

 

Keith could hear Hunk’s grin. “Hey, have faith. Firing in three, two, one.” 

 

Keith fought his instincts as there was a flash of white light on the ground, and an alarm in the jet went off. The missile exploded off their left side, light and smoke blocking Keith’s view for a moment. 

 

“Hey, great shot, Hunk!” Lance praised.

 

“Thanks, buddy. I learned from the best.” 

 

And for about thirty seconds, they were best friends again. 

 

“Alright, testing weapons. Keith, take us to the targets.” 

 

Keith soared over to the designated spot. Lance pulled down a small orange screen from the ceiling and grabbed the gun controls. His whole body relaxed as he lined up the shot. 

 

“Firing in three...two...one.”

 

Nothing. 

 

Lance pulled the trigger again. Still nothing. 

 

“Uh, guys? I don’t think it’s working…”

 

“Everything looks fine here.”

 

“It’s like it’s jammed.”

 

“A laser can’t be jammed.”

 

“I’m telling you, Hunk, I know guns. It’s. Jammed.” 

 

An alarm in the shuttle went off and Keith looked around wildly. “What’s that?” 

 

“The weapons system is overheating.” Pidge’s voice was tight. “I’m trying to shut it down.” 

 

Lance pushed away the gun controls and started flipping switches on his end, but nothing was working. Keith started to take the jet back down to the surface, but the alarm seemed to be getting louder. He cursed and leveled the jet out, letting it hang in mid-air. It wasn’t an engine problem, so there was no rush to really move anywhere.

 

“Guys, I can’t shut it down and it’s getting hotter. You have to eject.” 

 

Keith glanced over at Lance, made sure he was strapped in, and hit the button. The glass hood over them ripped off into the atmosphere, but the seats didn’t move. Air knocked the two paladins around for a moment, and Keith fought for control of the jet. Panicked voices filled his comms and Keith blocked them out.

 

“FUCK!” Lance screamed. 

 

Keith reached over and slammed the release button for Lance’s seat belt, then did his own. He stood and dragged Lance up with him. He ripped the parachutes off the backs of the seats and pushed one at Lance.

 

“Jump!” he yelled. 

 

“What?” 

 

Keith grunted and pushed him backwards, over the side of the jet. Lance screamed, and Keith dove after him.

 

Keith was twelve when he first realized he was an adrenaline junkie. Some kid at his foster home had talked him into riding down a hill in a shopping cart. He ended up crashing and somehow didn’t break anything, but that exhilaration was breathtaking. Half the stupid crap he did was to chase that high. 

 

The free fall from the jet was better than sex. His heart pounded in his ears and he wished he had his helmet off to feel the wind whip through his hair. But somehow, there was a peace in the moment. He was in the eye of the storm. His team screaming in panic and Lance freaking out next to him and he was...still. 

 

“KOGANE I’M GOING TO KILL YOU.” Lance screamed over the coms.

 

“Scared now?” Keith smirked, his own voice level.

 

“FUCK YOU.”

 

In spite of Lance’s fear, he was twisting to get the parachute on his back and straightening out his body. This was the first lesson everyone learnt at the Garrison. How to jump out of a plane and live. They all did it so many times, it was basically instinct. 

 

Above them, the jet exploded like a firework.

 

Pidge screamed for them to release their parachutes, and after a jerk their decent was slowed. 

 

Lance was now laughing hysterically. Keith couldn’t tell if it was shock or if he was actually enjoying himself. Maybe a bit of both. 

 

“You guys alright?” Shiro asked.

 

“Oh, yeah, just peachy.” Lance giggled. “Oh, God, that was great. Hey, Keith! You saved me for once!” 

 

“And I finally got to push you out of a jet.” 

 

“How does it feel to have that out of your system?” Matt mocked. 

 

“Fantastic.” Keith deadpanned, and Lance erupted in more giggles. “Although I think it broke Lance.”

 

“I can’t remember the last time I saw something so badass.”

 

“Matt, don’t encourage them.” Shiro groaned. 

 

They landed on the ground with a roll, and Keith struggled to get his parachute off. Lance was lying flat on the ground, and when Keith looked up he could see the hover cars racing towards them. 

 

“Lance, you alright?” 

 

“Yeah.” he laughed. “Yep, I feel great. Haven’t felt this alive in a long time.” 

 

“What happened?” Keith asked.

 

“I don’t know.” Pidge muttered. “And the jets gone, so - “

 

“Pidge.” Shiro said sharply. “Why didn’t the eject work? If it weren't for Keith, we would have lost more than the jet.”

 

Her voice was tiny. “I don’t know.”

 

Hunk cut in. “My best guess is the missile did some serious shock damage. The shields took the explosion damage, but the shock absorbers weren’t good enough. We can run a few models and fix it.”

 

The hover cars finally reached them and everyone jumped out and ran over. Shiro shocked Keith by pulling him into a hug, but quickly released him. Pidge was kneeling over Lance while Allura fretted about broken bones.

 

“I’m sorry Lance. Hunk was right. It wasn’t ready.”

 

“S’okay, padawan. Hey, Shiro, let’s take a night off, eh? There’s this great restaurant in Delray my cousin used to work at. We should all go.”

 

“It’ll be too late by the time we get back.”

 

“Tomorrow then. Oh, let’s have a beach day. Coran, you ever go to the beach? Its great.”

 

Keith had to smile a bit. Maybe pushing Lance out of a fighter jet was enough to make him want to engage with the team again.

 

“Lance, we need to work on fixing these problems.” Pidge said sadly. 

 

“Take a sick day.”

 

“We have training tomorrow morning anyway.” Keith reminded.

 

“Fine, we’ll work tomorrow morning.” Lance sat up and crossed his arms, glaring at them all. “But then beach time.”

 

~*~

 

There was a private strip of beach on Merritt Island, so Lance decided that was the perfect place for their beach day. He made a huge deal of telling everyone that they were not allowed to talk about anything work related once they were on the beach. He disappeared immediately after training the next day.

 

“What about sparring?” Keith asked as Lance jogged backwards away from him.

 

“I gotta pick up sunscreen.”

 

“Would have thought you were more the deep frying in baby oil type.”

 

Lance made a face. “I didnt pilot two gigantic robotic lions halfway across the universe and back just to die of skin cancer. I’ll see you there!”

 

Well he had a point.

 

When he resurfaced a few hours later at the private beach, he had a cooler and an overstuffed tote. 

 

“Hey Krolia!” he sang, waving a hand over his head. “Long time no see.”

 

Keith’s mother looked up from her paperback novel with a smile. “Hello, Lance.” 

 

“Did you hear what your brat son did to me yesterday?” 

 

“I did. I have to say, I’m very impressed with both of you. I pushed Keith’s father off a cliff once.” 

 

“Why?”

 

“I wanted to see what would happen.”

 

Lance laughed and Keith looked at his mother in shock. Her yellow eyes were glimmering slightly in the sunlight. 

 

“What the hell, Mom?”

 

“I did give him a parachute.” 

 

Lance dropped his things and started unpacking, spreading a rainbow striped beach towel out in the sun. In spite of his excitement and planning, he had been the last to arrive. Keith guessed it had to do with his cooler full of ice, drinks and snacks. 

 

Krolia was reading under the shade of a large umbrella, sharing a beach blanket with Shiro and Keith. Allura was on Krolia’s other side, sunning herself and listening to Earth History on tape. Everyone else was enjoying the warm water, with the cosmic wolf barking at them but afraid to get in. Keith had applied enough sunscreen where he thought it was alright to bake in the sun, but he didn’t really want to go into the water. He hated to admit it, but he wasn’t the best swimmer. 

 

Lance upended his tote on his towel and let everything spill out. A soccer ball bounced against Keith’s leg as he looked in surprise at boogie boards, camera, spray-on sunscreen, a book, and headphones. Lance snatched up the sunscreen and ripped off his shirt, practically dying to get into the water. 

 

Keith’s mouth went dry as Lance hastily began spraying sunscreen all over his arms. He was used to Lance’s body - they trained together every damn day. Keith had wrapped Lance into so many grapples and holds that he had honestly thought there wasn’t much left to the imagination. But somehow seeing him in this setting was completely different. Especially with the faintest peak of a pale tan line over his green and white swim trunks. 

 

God smite his gay ass here and now.

 

And Lance was not allowed to look like that. Lance was supposed to be lanky and strong but not that god damn defined. As well as pale from over a year on a spaceship. And when the hell did he stop looking like a boy and more like...well...that.

 

_ It’s your own damn fault,  _ a little piece of Keith’s brain that was still functioning said slyly.  _ If you hadn’t insisted he train so much… _

 

He. Is. Your. Best. Friend. Stop. Staring.

 

“Earth to Keith.” 

 

Keith managed to stop gaping and look over at Shiro. He had something of a smirk on his face. 

 

“You good?” 

 

“Uh-huh.” 

 

Keith tried to look dead ahead at the ocean, and felt disgusted with himself as his gaze wandered. Lance had his back to him now, the white scar on his right shoulder like a bright star in a sky of tanned skin and freckles. 

 

A series of eight black rings in a line stretched down the left side of his back, divided halfway through by a thick black line. They were all different sized, the sixth being a double circle. Lance looked over his shoulder at him, and smirked.

 

“See something you like?” 

 

“What the hell is that?” 

 

“A tattoo.” 

 

“Of what? Morse code?” 

 

“No, idiot. It’s the Solar System.” Lance tossed aside his sunscreen and took his sunglasses off. “I got it done right after we got back.” 

 

“Why?” 

 

Lance ignored him. “Come on, loser, the water looks great.” 

 

Lance sprinted across the beach, crashing right into the white waves. When the water got up past his knees he abandoned his running and dove headfirst into a tumbling wave. He resurfaced next to Pidge, who shrieked and splashed him as he surprised her. 

 

The Solar System. Of course. So the line was the asteroid belt, and the double ring was Saturn. Keith was honestly surprised by how simple it was. He would have expected Lance to do something over the top. Like a yakuza sleeve.

 

Hunk was staring wide eyed at Lance’s back, then his expression got tight and he turned away. He locked eyes with Keith for a moment. 

 

Betrayal. Utter betrayal. 

 

And then it was gone. 

 

“You should go in the water.” Shiro said to Keith. 

 

“I’m fine here.” 

 

“You know you want to.” 

 

There was a teasing tone in the older man’s voice and Keith scowled. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” 

 

“Looks fun.”

 

“Hmph.” 

 

It did look fun. Pidge, Matt, Lance and Jierreh were starting a game of chicken with Hunk as referee. Pidge was surprisingly holding her own against Jierreh’s six arms. Matt was laughing maniacally while Lance cheered. Soon, Lance and Jierreh toppled backwards while the Holts cheered and Hunk declared them the winners. 

 

“What did the tests today find?” Keith asked.

 

Allura’s head snapped up, and she pushed off her headphones. “No, Keith.” 

 

“What?” 

 

“Lance has a very serious no-work talk rule in place. You know that.”

 

“He’s all the way over there, he can’t hear me.” Keith sat up. “What did the tests say?” 

 

Krolia put aside her book and sighed. “Keith, I am so sorry.”

 

“What - “

 

“LANCE!” Krolia called. “HE’S DOING IT!” 

 

Lance looked around and zeroed in on Keith. “Matt! Hunk! Get him!” 

 

Matt, Hunk and Lance all started running out of the water, and Keith jumped up. “Traitors!” he threw at the three adults before sprinting up the beach. 

 

~*~

 

After Keith had been successfully caught and thrown in the ocean as punishment, and Lance and Pidge had a good laugh at his not-so-great freestyle strokes back to shore, Lance convinced everyone to play a loose game of soccer. Seemed like it was a day full of things Keith was crap at - relaxing, swimming, soccer, ignoring the swimmer’s V on Lance’s stomach. 

 

Why. He couldn’t look at Lance like that. The sooner Lance was back in a shirt, the better. 

 

After the third time Keith kicked the ball horribly wrong, Shiro finally had the kindness to bench him and put Hestia, a winged rebel, into the game instead. Keith gratefully sat on the beach blanket and watched the game as he sucked on a juice box. 

 

Keith was surprised how good everyone else was at this. Then again, the rebels told him that they often played a similar game called rebrash in their downtime, it was actually an intergalactic sport and there had been huge tournaments before the Galra started locking down planets and trade routes. Shiro, Hunk and Lance had all grown up playing, and the Holts each were just good enough to be useful. Keith’s athleticism had kept him in the game, but he could not aim the ball at all. 

 

He reached into the bag he was sharing with his mother and took out his sketchbook. 

 

Finally he had been able to sketch again. After the day he had spent at Lance’s house, he had gone home and drawn Rosa from memory. Her chubby cheeks and tiny lips were tattooed to the inside of his skull. 

 

He would eventually give the drawing to Lance. Because Rosa was his obvious and clear favorite. But right now he was busy drawing spaceships. The first thing he learned how to draw. 

 

He looked up in time to see Matt pass the ball to Lance, who kicked the ball with deadly accuracy past Hunk’s shoulder. Lance cheered his own victory and high fived Matt as he jogged away from the goal. He saw Keith watching and his smile softened, then he turned around and made finger guns at Hunk, who laughed in spite of the loss. 

 

It was so good to see them getting along. Was this all it would have taken? A jump out of a jet and a day on the beach to fix them? It couldn’t be that simple. 

 

The game ended, and everyone lay out in the sun. Except Lance. Lance was right back out in the water, swimming out past where the waves broke and bobbing in the swells. Keith kept his head down in his sketchbook, stopping now and then to reapply sunscreen and keeping half an eye on Lance. 

 

They all started to pack up when the sun started to get low. Pidge, Hunk, Lance and Keith decided they would drop off their things and then go to the commissary to get ice cream. It was a long hot walk, and they wandered around the commissary longer than they had to just to be in the air conditioning. 

 

Everything felt like a dream as they walked along, joking around and making eachother laugh. Lance wrapped Pidge in a tight hug, making her stumble under his weight and complain about how sweaty he was. Hunk had carefully selected surprise ice cream flavors for everyone, and Keith was actually surprised by how much he liked the chocolate mint chip. He’d never thought to try it before. He laughed when it turned out that Pidge had been given salted caramel. 

 

“I saw your tattoo.”

 

Keith and Pidge were walking behind Hunk and Lance. The ice cream was long gone, their hands and mouths were all sticky. Night had fallen, and they walked under street lights. Pidge had been telling Keith about her mother’s new obsession with gardening. (“Honestly, Keith, she’s nuts. She’s got six types of tomatoes in that greenhouse.”) 

 

But she had fallen silent. They both felt the mood suddenly shift. 

 

“When did you get it?” 

 

“Right after we got back. Luis took me. Birthday present.” 

 

“We were supposed to get that tattoo together.”

 

Lance looked away. “Well, it’s not like you’ve had the time.”

 

“I would have made time.”

 

Lance gave a hollow laugh. “Right.”

 

“Don’t laugh. I would have!”

 

“Right. Like when you made time when I wanted to hang out. Or when you made time to train.” Lance’s voice was getting pitchy. “Or when you made time to help me out when clone Shiro was being a dick. Or when you made time when I died.”

 

“You didn’t -”

 

“YES I DID!” Lance exploded, and Keith and Pidge each took a step back. “I FUCKING DIED, HUNK! AND YOU. DID. NOTHING.”

 

Lance was shaking and Hunk looked so sad. “Buddy -”

 

“No. No. Don’t you ‘buddy’ me. You’ve been too busy with Pidge to even notice what’s going on.”

 

Hunk glared at him now. “Well, at least you have Keith back now, huh?”

 

“Don’t bring Keith into this.”

 

“I didn’t. You’re the one who ran off to hang out with him all the damn time. Because you’re just two peas in a fucking pod, aren’t you?”

 

“So what?”

 

“So it’s not my fault that when he left, I didn’t want to step in for my own replacement.”

 

“I didn’t replace you!” Lance’s voice wavered, but then got stronger. “You were so distracted with all this tech crap -”

 

“It’s not my fault you can’t keep up!”

 

“I can keep up!” Lance shouted. “You never tried!”

 

“I -”

 

“At least when Keith abandoned me he actually left.” Lance spat. “You managed to do it while sitting in the same room.”

 

Hunk’s fist swung out of nowhere, snapping Lance’s head back. Pidge shrieked and Keith shoved himself between the two boys. 

 

“Enough!”

 

Lance groaned and rubbed his cheek. He spat blood onto the ground. 

 

“What the hell, Hunk?” Pidge shouted.

 

Lance made a wild grab for him, but Keith grabbed his wrists. 

 

“Don’t do this.” he hissed. “He’s your best friend.”

 

“Then maybe he should act like it.” Lance spat maliciously.

 

“You do this, you can’t take it back.”

 

Keith looked behind him to see Hunk had already turned to walk away. Lance shoved Keith off of him, but didn’t go after the huge Samoan. Pidge looked between the three boys.

 

“I...he has our house keys…”

 

“Go.” Keith nodded. “Calm him down. I’ve got Lance.”

 

She nodded and hugged Lance briefly around the middle before chasing after Hunk. Keith looked at Lance and didn’t even know what to say. 

 

“Come on. Let’s get you home.”

 

It was an absolutely silent walk home. Hunk and Pidge had gone ahead quickly, and Keith and Lance were going slow, so they lost sight of them. Lance was keeping his head down and his fists were still tight, angry balls. Keith’s mind was reeling.

 

He never thought Hunk would hit Lance. Never. But then again, the Yellow Paladin had been acting all kinds of crazy towards Lance. 

 

And Lance, well...Lance made people act all kinds of crazy. 

 

Lance was absolutely silent. Keith didn’t know what to say.

 

_ At least when Keith abandoned me, he actually left. _

 

When did he abandon Lance? 

 

They finally reached the block of houses for Team Voltron, and Lance tried to head for hover car that was parked at the corner. Figures that after that kind of explosion Lance would try to just slink off. Keith rolled his eyes and grabbed his wrist, pulling him along. 

 

“What? Come on, man, I just wanna get home.”

 

“Lance, I can see that bruise forming in the dark.” Keith sighed. “Just...at least take some ice.” 

 

“Fine.”

 

Keith lead him to his condo. Lights were on upstairs, so Shiro and Krolia were probably still up. He tried to be as quiet as possible anyway, leading Lance through the dark hallway and living room until they reached the kitchen, where he turned a single light on. Both boys blinked as their eyes adjusted, and Keith grimaced at the dark spot on Lance’s jaw. 

 

Lance leaned against a counter and crossed his arms over his chest while Keith got some ice from the freezer and wrapped it in a clean dishcloth. He handed it over to the other paladin. 

 

“I always knew your mouth would get you in trouble one day.” Keith muttered.

 

Lance gingerly touched the ice to his sore spot. “Yeah, bet you thought it would be you who hit me.” 

 

They stood in the darkened kitchen in silence. 

 

“Lance, what was that back there?” 

 

Lance looked away. 

 

“I’m not letting you leave until we talk about this.” 

 

“I don’t know.” he sighed. “I just...I’m sorry. I got fed up. I lost my temper. Funny. Usually it’s you.” 

 

“Yeah, well, you bring it out in people.” 

 

Lance’s face dropped and Keith winced. 

 

“Not like...Lance, you always...push people. You’re capable of bringing out the best in people, and their worst.” Keith grimaced. “You always did that to me. And today you did it to Hunk.” 

 

Lance scratched the back of his head. “Yeah.”

 

“You should apologize. You said some horrible things.” 

 

“I know. I will.” Lance sighed and closed his eyes, then let out a shaky laugh. “I can’t believe that happened. But it’s like...a relief. It’s finally out there. I mean, I’m always telling you not to bottle it all up and here I am doing just that.”

 

“Yeah.” 

 

“Sorry I sort of...blew up our team dynamics.”

 

Keith sighed. “Well, Shiro always used to tell me that sometimes things have to be completely broken before they can be properly fixed. Maybe you and Hunk...had to scream at each other in the middle of the street to get back to normal.”

 

“And I needed to be punched in the face?”

 

“Well, that was a given.” 

 

Lance rolled his eyes and shifted the ice on his jaw, and they were quiet again. 

 

“Lance, what did you mean when you said I abandoned you?” 

 

Lance looked away. “Nothing. Just the heat of the moment.” 

 

“Seemed pretty serious.” 

 

Lance’s mouth twisted into something ugly. 

 

“Lance, tell me.” 

 

“It’s just...look, don’t get me wrong. You had to go to the Blade. I get that. You had to figure things out and you weren’t ready to be a leader and you were doing what you had to. Believe me, I completely get that.”

 

Keith frowned. Lance was babbling, so this probably was not going anywhere good. 

 

“And like, look at you, man. You’re like, all confident and you have your mom and obviously it’s done you some good. And we’re all really happy for you and proud of you. Don’t laugh, I’m being serious.”

 

“Okay, thanks.”

 

“Right. So, as your friend, I love the new Keith.” 

 

“Lance, get to the point.” Keith growled.

 

Lance sighed, and rotated his jaw, then iced it again. “I know I’m being completely selfish when I tell you this. But when you left...I don’t know we had gotten so close. At least, I thought we had. And you left and it was just like...I don’t know, maybe I didn’t notice how much I had distanced myself from the others until I didn’t have anyone. Not that you were the cause of any of the stuff that happened after but...we were spending a lot of time together before you left. And I was really, really alone.”

 

“Lance, I had no idea - “

 

“And then you pulled that crazy ass stunt on Naxzela and we found out it wasn’t the first or even third time you’d done something like that and Kolivan didn’t seem to give a damn about you almost killing yourself because you know mission first and I was so worried about you and we couldn’t talk then you just disappeared.”

 

Keith couldn’t do anything but stare at him. 

 

“So, yeah. I felt...abandoned. I’m not saying that’s what you did but that’s what it felt like.” 

 

Lance was looking at the floor, that pinched look of worry on his face. Keith had an overwhelming urge to figure out the exact amount of milk he had to add to coffee to get Lance’s skin color. He squashed it. 

 

“Why didn’t you tell me this before?” Keith asked. “We talked about...everyone else and not...I’m so sorry Lance I thought - “

 

“It’s alright.” Lance muttered. “I mean, it’s kind of stupid - “

 

“It’s not - “

 

“It is, a bit. Look, just, next time, a little warning would be nice.” 

 

Keith hesitated. “Alright.” He looked at him, still shuffling around with his head down. “Were you really that worried?” 

 

Lance’s eyes snapped onto his. “Of course I was. Quiznack, Keith, you’re so observant but sometimes it’s like you don’t even see what’s in front of you.” 

 

“What - “

 

“Keith? Lance?” 

 

Keith turned around and saw Shiro standing in the door of the kitchen, his new white arm gleaming in the half-light. 

 

“Is everything alright?” 

 

“Yeah.” Keith said. “Lance and Hunk had an...argument.” 

 

Shiro stepped further into the kitchen, frowning at the ice in Lance’s hand. “Is this one of those arguments that you used to get into that usually ended with you depleting all the ice in the freezer?” 

 

“I’ll be alright, Shiro.” Lance reassured. “Some things gotta break completely before they can be fixed, right?” 

 

Shiro rose his eyebrows at Keith, but spoke to Lance. “That’s right. Although I’m pretty sure I was talking about engines when I said that, not friendships.”

 

Lance snorted and Keith could feel his eyes on him. “Typical. Well, I should get home so my mother can yell at me for fighting. Thanks for the ice, Keef. Bye Shiro.” 

 

“Drive safe.” 

 

Keith and Shiro silently listened to him walk out the front door and shut it behind him. Shiro smirked and raised an eyebrow. “Keef, huh?”

 

“It’s what his niece calls me.” Keith grumbled, feeling red creep up his face. “Shut up.” 

 

“Hmm.” Shiro’s amusement melted away. “Hunk hit Lance, I’m guessing?”

 

“It’ll be fine.” Keith said with a surprising amount of conviction. “They just had to talk it out and...Lance does everything with a bang.” 

 

“If you say so.” Shiro still looked worried. “You’re getting better at this. Being a leader. And a friend.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“Did you learn anything today?”

 

“That if you need to melt tension in a team, throw someone out of a fighter jet?” 

 

Shiro sighed. “No.” 

 

Keith grinned. “I mean, it seemed to work.”

 

“I’m not sure Lance would survive that again. He doesn’t like you that much.” 

 

“Oh really? What would you have done?” 

 

“Lock the two of them in a room until they work it out. It worked with you and Lance.” 

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Right. Hey...when we started the trip back here, and we talked about Lance, you said that I hurt him the least out of anyone. But...how did you even know?”

 

Shiro shrugged. “It was written all over his face.”

 

Keith frowned. 

 

“I’ll see you tomorrow.”

 

“Good night.” 

 

Shiro left and Keith poured himself some water from the sink. He grimaced out the window at the house next door. It wasn’t a great view. 

 

His communicator buzzed, multiple times, and he pulled it out of his pocket with a slight frown. 

 

**Lance: Thanks for talking.**

**Lance: I will talk to Hunk tomorrow. You don’t have to worry about your team.**

**Lance: I hope you enjoyed the beach today.**

 

Keith sighed. He wasn’t worried about his team, he was worried about Lance. Talk about not seeing what’s in front of you.

 

**Keith: Anytime. And yeah, I had fun.**

 

**Lance: Next time we’ll go boating.**

**Lance: Goodnight.**

 

**Keith: Night.**

 

~*~

_**You stopped by my house the night you escaped** _

_**With tears in my eyes, I begged you to stay.** _

_**You said, "Hey man, I love you, but no fucking way."** _

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't hate me.
> 
> I know everyone thinks that Hunk is a big softie and would never hurt a fly but he's a boy. Boys hit each other when things get to be too much. And if he and Lance are that close, they're not going to forgive each other easily. 
> 
> Also, Lance pushing him to that point has to do with the plot.


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance is a boy with feeeeeelings.

**Everything is dark, and Keith is sitting on the floor. Now he knows he’s in his bedroom in the condo. A storm rages outside, rain whipping the windows like ropes. There’s a blue light from a movie he’s not paying attention to, and he can feel a presence not far away. He stares at the carpet.**

 

**His bottom lip hurts a bit. Like someone had bitten it. Like a kiss.**

 

**“I really like you, Keith.” a small voice whispers.**

 

~*~

 

Lance showed up to training the next morning with an even nastier bruise than the night before, but no swelling. He scowled at the curious glances of the Elites and stalked to the locker room to change. Later, he privately told Keith he probably had another bruise on his ass from how hard his mother walloped him with a sandal after hearing what happened. 

 

“She thought you did it to me at first,” he grumbled, “which she was alright with, and then I told her what really happened and she got mad. Forgot she could curse like a Garrison officer.” 

 

Keith had to laugh at the image. 

 

Hunk and Pidge showed up halfway through the work-out. Hunk looking much worse for the wear and Pidge just plain tired. Hunk stayed by the door and shifted anxiously as Lance approached. Pidge walked over to Keith and sipped her coffee. 

 

“How is he?” Keith asked. 

 

“Didn’t sleep all night. Baked ten dozen cookies and fretted and sobbed for an hour. He feels guilty. What about Lance?” 

 

“Relieved, in a way, I think. At least when he left my house.” 

 

Pidge watched the Elites sparring and snorted at Reid. “That jackass is going to hurt himself.”

 

“You could show him how it’s done.” 

 

“Hm, well, I’d rather he hurt himself. I’m sure Lance would too.” 

 

“Some people just wanna watch the world burn.” Keith muttered, and Pidge grinned. 

 

Little pieces of Hunk and Lance’s conversation were floating over. Keith found himself trying to listen in. 

 

“I had no idea - “ 

 

“It’s alright. I didn’t tell you. Or anyone, really.” 

 

Keith watched Pidge observe the Elites. 

 

“Can I come to a few sessions?” she asked. “I...kind of miss it.” 

 

Keith rose an eyebrow at her. “Sure. Whenever you want.” 

 

“No going easy on me.” 

 

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” 

 

“I just kind of felt like you had replaced me with Keith.” 

 

“Hunk, buddy, it’s not like that at all.” 

 

“How’s the new jet coming?” Keith asked.

 

Pidge sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. “Not great. We made the shock absorbers stronger, so the lasers won’t misalign again. But we still can’t figure out why the eject mechanism jammed.” She sighed. “I’m sure once Hunk’s head is on straight we’ll be able to figure it out, but he’s been distracted all morning.” 

 

“YOU LI-”

 

Keith whipped around at the sudden shouting. Lance had a hand clamped over Hunk’s mouth, he turned and smiled widely at the room. 

 

“Nothing to see here.” he placated. 

 

Keith rolled his eyes and looked back at the room again as Lance hissed, “Shhhh!” 

 

Fifteen minutes later, after some serious whispering, hugs, and a secret handshake, Lance and Hunk approached. Lance was talking a mile a minute. 

 

“And there’s this Asian market I pass on my way here every day, and we have to go. They have a food court, too. Oh, oh, we should go shopping and have family dinner night. I feel like it’s been so long since we all sat and ate together.”

 

“Yeah, sounds good.”

 

“Maybe we can eat all those cookies you made.” Pidge smirked. 

 

Lance grinned. “You were stress-baking, weren’t you?” 

 

“I punched my best friend in the face. Of course I was stress baking.” 

 

“And crying.” Pidge added. “About how Lance loves Keith more than you.”

 

“Pidge! Don’t say mean things!” Lance snapped. “Hunk, I’ll protect you. Get back here, you little gremlin.” 

 

Pidge jumped as Lance moved to tickle her, then ran. Lance chased after her, shouting promises of a morning off for any Elite that managed to catch her. Pidge cackled and dove between people, a few of them joining in the chase but most just watching. 

 

“Hunk, I owe you an apology, too.” Keith said quietly as they watched. “I didn’t mean to make you feel like...I was taking Lance away.” 

 

Hunk’s eyes went wide. “No, no, no, it’s okay. I get it. No apology needed.” 

 

“Hunk - “

 

“Nope, it’s all cool buddy.” He hesitated. “Sorry that I dragged you into it.” 

 

“It’s alright. We had a good talk. I guess I was so busy worrying about how hurt he was that I didn’t realize I was one of the people who hurt him.” 

 

Hunk grimaced. “Join the club.” 

 

They watched Lance finally catch Pidge, tackling her to the ground and tickling her sides, screaming, “For Hunk Garrett!” 

 

Reid snorted and muttered something that sounded like, “Children,” as he turned away. 

 

“Lance!” Keith called. “Let her up. She’s got work to do.”

 

“Whatever you say, fearless leader. Pidge, we are not done.” 

 

Lance helped her up, then grimaced as she kicked him in the shin. A few of the Elites chuckled and she stalked out of the room, calling Hunk after her. Hunk gave Lance a big wave before following. Keith shouted for everyone  to get back to work and approached Lance. 

 

“Better?” he asked. 

 

“Yeah. I think so. He’s still mad about the tattoo, but we’re gonna get something else together instead.” Lance smiled. “Hey, wanna unleash some battlebots?” 

 

~*~

 

The next two weeks passed quickly. Hunk and Pidge fixed all the problems with Project X-wing, though waited until Model 3 to send Keith and Lance back into the sky with it. Lance kept saying he wasn’t getting in the jet basically up until they were back in the Texas desert and Keith told him to strap in. Keith knew that the majority of the fuss he was making was to piss Pidge off.

 

The Model 3 flew like a dream, and the weapons systems worked perfectly. Keith broke through the atmosphere and he and Lance sat in orbit for ten minutes. Lance even got to fulfill his lifelong dream of creating a crop-circle, and stamped some poor unsuspecting cotton farmer’s field with the Voltron logo. Allura had started yelling as soon as she’d seen what he’d done, and Lance reassured her it was just press campaigning. 

 

He made faces at Keith as he reassured her, and Keith found it really hard to keep his laughs silent and the jet straight. He got a hard no when he suggested they test out the eject button. 

 

“Come on, it’ll be fun!” 

 

“You can kill yourself on your own time, Kogane. I did not pilot two robotic lions - “

 

“Oh, my God, you’re such an old lady.” 

 

“Well, at least we know I had a long life. You, on the other hand, are going to die by 25. Because you’ll have done something stupid. Like test out an eject button that we know is broken.” 

 

“Guys.” Pidge interrupted. “Just make out and move on. We have to start the calculations to make the engine larger.” 

 

“Get your mind out of the gutter, Pidge.” Lance snapped.

 

“Stop flirting and I won’t have to.” 

 

“What’s that? You want us to dive bomb Echo Base? Are you sure that’s a good idea, General Ortega?” 

 

“Lance, no.” 

 

“Alright, if you say so…”

 

“Keith! Don’t do it!” 

 

“Floor it, Red.” 

 

Keith took a sick pleasure in letting the jet drop to about fifty yards above the control tent the team was camped out in while everyone screamed for him to stop. 

 

Lance was still spending a decent amount of time alone, but Keith stopped worrying about it when he realized the Blue Paladin was spending time with the lions. The cosmic wolf had started going with him, and Keith felt a little salty about that. Especially since he was pretty sure the wolf had started responding to ‘Ziggy Stardust’, which, he’d never admit, was a decent name. 

 

Besides, Keith had his own problems. His dreams were back. 

 

Last night, he woke up in a cold sweat, the feeling of a kiss on his lips and a small voice whispering in the corner of his mind. 

 

“I just wish it would stop.” Keith grumbled to his mother. “It’s not like it’s ever enough to know anything. It’s just annoying.” 

 

“It’s only bothering you because you let it.” she sighed. 

 

“You sound like Shiro when I first met Lance.” 

 

Team Lunch was now a thing again, seeing as Lance and Hunk weren’t actively avoiding each other. They started eating in Pidge’s lab, which was easier than trying to pry her away from her work, and they attracted too much attention in the cafeteria. Usually Hunk made food for everyone, but sometimes Lance brought in huge baskets of his mother’s cooking. Or Pidge would contribute with fresh fruits and vegetables from her mother’s greenhouses. 

 

Lance had disappeared again after training while Keith was busy getting yelled at for the crop circle in a private meeting. When he got back to the lab, everyone except Lance was present. 

 

“He said something about his sister.” Pidge supplied when Keith looked around for the skinny Cuban. 

 

“Oh, no.” Keith groaned. “Not her.” 

 

“What’s wrong with Vero?” Hunk asked. “She’s great.” 

 

“Has she ever tried to marry you off to anyone in her family?”

 

“Yes, actually.” He frowned. “Okay, no. You’re right. She’s terrifying.”

 

The door opened and Lance shuffled the twins, Sandy and Joel, in infront of him, talking over his shoulder. “Why the hell did Mama send you anyway?”

 

“I had a few hours to kill. And I wanted to see you. Even if you insist on swearing in front of my kids.” Vero stepped into the lab and zeroed in on Keith. “Hey, guapo.” 

 

“Leave Keith alone.” Lance said, sounding a little resigned, taking a large tote from his sister and setting it on the bench.  “Hunk, Pidge, you remember my sister Vero and her brats Sandy and Joel.” 

 

Veronica reached over to smack her brother, and he twisted out of the way. “My children are perfect.” 

 

“This is Pidge’s brother Matt, Princess Allura and her advisor Coran, and Keith’s adopted brother Shiro.” 

 

“Are you really a princess?” Sandy demanded of Allura. 

 

“Yes…”

 

“I’ve never heard of you.” 

 

Vero gave Shiro a look over as he approached her, hand extended. “We’ve heard a lot about you.” He smiled. “It’s so nice to finally meet some of Lance’s family.” 

 

She grinned and looked back at her brother. “Te enamoraste del hermano equivocado, chanchito.” 

 

Lance blushed. “Callate.” 

 

She looked back at Shiro. “ _ So  _ nice to meet you too. Lance doesn’t talk about  _ you _ enough.” 

 

Sandy was judging the Altean’s ears now. “Are those real?”

 

Joel was just standing still, looking around in shock. The look on his face just said, “So cool.”

 

Hunk motioned towards the bag of food. “May I?”

 

“Yeah, of course.” Vero turned away from Shiro. “There’s the mango salsa you love that we made last night, some tamales, a few sandwiches that should still be warm. Oh, and some juices.”

 

Hunk opened the container of salsa and took a deep breath. “Oh, that’s the good stuff.” 

 

Joel found his voice and was asking Pidge what everything in her lab was while his twin continued to harass the Alteans until Lance finally picked her up and physically removed her. Veronica seemed to have decided that Matt was easier prey and was leaning against a lab bench to talk to him. 

 

McClain must be synonymous with chaos, Keith decided. 

 

“Oh, Keith.” Veronica said, digging in her purse. “I have something for you. Rosa would not shut up about you after you left. Here.” 

 

Keith took the offered piece of paper and smiled as he unfolded it to reveal a page of scarlet red scribbles. 

 

“Who’s Rosa?” Matt asked.

 

“My two year old niece.” Lance supplied, peering over Keith’s shoulder at the drawing. “Hey, it looks just like you!” 

 

Keith elbowed him in the stomach. “Art is art, Lance.”

 

“Yeah, his next boyfriend will have to fight her for rights.” Vero grinned. “Alright, we need to be getting back.” 

 

“But I wanted to see a Lion.” Joel whined. “Tio promised!” 

 

Veronica sighed. “Tio is very busy.” 

 

“I’m not that busy.” Lance shrugged. “We can pay a quick visit to Red.”

 

“We were going to build a new training simulation today.” Keith reminded. 

 

“Yeah, but not till later.” He grabbed a sandwich from Hunk’s neat piles. “Come on, let’s go.” 

 

“Oh, did you invite them to the party?” Vero asked.

 

“Ah, they don’t wanna go to that.” Lance waved her off. 

 

“Party?” Hunk asked.

 

“Our brother Luis is playing on the beach in Varadero. There’s going to be a huge after party. You should all come!” 

 

Veronica’s smile was wide, and Lance was giving her a suspicious look. 

 

“Sounds fun.” Matt said cautiously. Veronica was still looking like she wanted to devour him. 

 

She laughed. “Don’t worry, carino, I won’t be there. I’m old and have children. But you should all come. Papa’s getting Luis and Lance hotel rooms, I’m sure we could get a few more.” 

 

“That’s very generous.” Shiro smiled. “When is it?” 

 

Lance was shuffling the twins back out the door. “We can plan it out later. Vero don’t you have to call your doctor about those test results for that rash? Sandy and Joel, say adios!” 

 

Vero frowned at her brother for a second, then turned around and smiled. “Right, well, nice to meet all of you.” She winked at Shiro. “Papi.” 

 

She walked out of the lab and the door swung shut. Everyone was silent for about thirty seconds, then started howling with laughter. 

 

“Shut up.” Shiro muttered, his face bright red. 

 

“She’s a female Lance.” Matt choked out. “Oh, my God, Shirogane you haven’t been that red since - “

 

“What did she mean?” Allura asked. “Papi? What - “ 

 

Keith sputtered as Hunk tried his best to explain the concept of a ‘daddy’. Coran quickly caught on and looked horrified, then laughed as well. 

 

“She...oh, man, she’s terrifying.” Pidge giggled. “Matt, I honestly thought she’d tie you up right in front of me.”

 

Allura, who had caught onto the joke and was openly laughing at Shiro, said, “Suddenly Lance doesn’t seem so bad.” 

 

“Apparently his brother Luis used to be worse.” Keith grinned. 

 

“Oh, hey, they left their bag.” Matt held up the tote. “Here, Pidge, run it back to her.” 

 

“What’s wrong, brother dearest? Scared?” 

 

“Of her? Absolutely.” 

 

“Well, we can’t send Shiro, she’ll take him back to Cuba with her.”

 

Shiro groaned and covered his face as this brought fresh laughter.

 

“I’ve got it.” Keith sighed, grabbing the bag from Matt. “Worst case, I end up marrying some nice Cuban boy.”

 

Hunk snorted as Keith left the room. Lance, Veronica, Sandy and Joel were waiting for the elevator at the end of the hall. Lance and Veronica seemed to be arguing about something over the twin’s heads. 

 

“Because, Vero! This whole thing is difficult enough without you forcing a situation like this!” 

 

“Lance, Dios, dile como te sientes!” 

 

“Sentimiento? Perra malvada - “

 

Veronica hissed and clapped her hands over each kid’s ear.  

 

“Oh, please, like they haven’t heard it from Mama.” 

 

“Vero!” 

 

Lance and Veronica whipped around, identical shocked looks on their faces. 

 

Keith held up the tote. “You forgot your bag.” 

 

Veronica recovered quickly. “Thank you, Keith. You’re coming by for dinner soon, right?” 

 

“Maybe.” he hedged. He still hadn’t completely recovered from his last visit. 

 

“Hmm, bring your brother, eso?” Her grin got a little softer. “And your mother. We’d really like to meet her.” 

 

Keith hesitated. “Well, she’s not exactly...she doesn’t blend in, like Allura and Coran.” 

 

“Neither do I.” Veronica shrugged. The elevator dinged and she dragged the kids inside. “We’ll see you on Friday.”

 

“Mama! The Lions!” 

 

“Next time.” Veronica whispered, giving her brother an unreadable look. “Tio needs to work. See you at home, Lance.” 

 

Lance scowled at her as the doors shut. He spun on his heel and walked back down the hall. 

 

“What was that about?” Keith asked, keeping pace.

 

“What?”

 

“You were arguing.”

 

Lance sighed and shook his head. “Nothing. Don’t worry about it. She’s just being...being a McClain I guess. Hey, I’ll see you later alright?” 

 

“Where are you - “ 

 

He disappeared into a stairwell. Feeling increasingly confused, Keith let himself back into the lab. He grabbed a tamale and sat next to Shiro. 

 

“Everything alright?” Shiro asked in an undertone. 

 

Keith frowned. “Yeah. I think so.” 

 

“Where’s Lance?” 

 

Keith shrugged. 

 

“You weren’t fighting again, were you?” 

 

“No. We’re past that.” Keith paused and considered. “Mostly. It’s not the same.” 

 

Shiro studied him. “Right. Well. When he gets back, we should figure out when this party is.” 

 

“Yeah.” Keith tipped his head back and looked at the ceiling. “Sounds like it’ll be fun.” 

 

~*~

 

Lance’s bad mood lasted for the rest of the day after his argument with his sister. He disappeared for a few hours and only came back when Keith reminded him that they had work to do. But he seemed distracted and jumpy, so they didn’t get anything done. Keith was dying to know what the fight was about, but Lance was sour and unusually quiet, so he didn’t ask. 

 

The next day he seemed to be right back to normal, and jumped into planning the overnight trip to Varadero. 

 

Friday came quickly, and Keith found himself in the backseat of a car Hunk borrowed from the Garrison on his way back to Cuba. Pidge had called shotgun and sat in the front, bare feet up on the glove box as she dozed. Shiro had decided maybe this was best left as a bonding trip between the four of them, seeing as though things were better they were still a little awkward. As soon as Shiro bowed out Allura declined as well, and Pidge forbade Matt from going. 

 

Lance was insisting on boating to Varadero, saying it would feel more like a vacation if they did. They met him at the small marina next to the boardwalk. When they got there, Lance was on a small fishing boat and talking to his brother Marco. Marco was holding Rosa on his hip, and when Keith approached with Hunk and Pidge, she hid her face.

 

“Aww, don’t hide, Princessa.” Marco laughed. “How is your Keef supposed to see your pretty face?”

 

“Keith’s got a girlfriend.” Pidge mocked.

 

Keith inspected the boat. It looked really small. Marco seemed to be thinking along the same lines as he eyed Hunk.

 

“You sure about this, hermanito?” Marco asked as Lance took Keith’s backpack from him. “You’ll be overweight.”

 

“It’ll be fine. Just have to distribute the weight properly.” 

 

“We have the kayaks.”

 

“I don’t wanna paddle all the way there. Marco, I’ve been driving this boat since I was eight. I know what I’m doing. Do you want to let me take your boat?”

 

“Hell no.”

 

“Then mind your own business.” 

 

Marco rolled his eyes. “Fine. We’ll see you later.” 

 

Lance reached up and tickled Rosa’s foot. “Bye, Princesa.” he cooed. “Be extra difficult for Papi.” 

 

Marco cursed at his brother and walked away. Lance grinned at his friends. “Alright! Let’s get this show on the road. Hunk, you’re up front.”

 

“Got it.” 

 

“Keef, put this on.” 

 

Keith scowled at the orange life jacket he was being offered. “Hell, no.” 

 

“You can barely swim!” 

 

“You’re just doing this to make fun of me.”

 

“No I’m not! I take boating safety very seriously. Look, I have one for Pidge too.” 

 

“Where’s yours and Hunk’s?”

 

“We’re islanders, the ocean is our birthright. Besides, you’re like...zero percent body fat. If you fall in and get knocked out, you’ll sink.”

 

Keith felt heat rush across his face as he snatched the lifejacket from Lance. “Fine.”

 

“Thank you. You’re going to sit here, with Pidge.”

 

Keith snapped the life jacket on and sat next to Pidge on a bench seat. Lance tossed everyone’s bags in the back of the boat and double checked everything before asking Hunk to untie them and easing the boat out of its dock. 

 

Lance didn’t open up the throttle until they were out of the marina, but even then they didn’t go that fast. Marco was right, they were too heavy. It was nice though. The water was so clear that Keith could see straight down to the white sand at the bottom, and there wasn’t much in the way of waves. Water sprayed up off the bow, soaking all of them. Lance was standing up as he steered to keep the water from his face, somehow his yellow t-shirt had disappeared when Keith wasn’t paying attention. 

 

Lance and Hunk had already gone for their matching tattoos, as they had proudly shown everyone the day after they got them. They ended up with roses on their left pecs- Hunk had yellow and Lance had blue that burned red on the edges of the petals. Keith wasted no time in telling Lance how douchey it was, but it did seem to suit him in a not-so-douchey way. 

 

Keith pretended to enjoy the artistry of the tattoo for a little too long. Soon enough they were docking at a different marina, this one with much more expensive boats. Hunk helped Lance tie up the boat and unload everything. 

 

“Hey, Keith.” 

 

Keith turned around to find Lance with his stupid camera out, snapping a photo of him and Pidge in their lifejackets. 

 

“Damn it, Lance!” Keith growled, ripping the ridiculous thing off. 

 

Lance laughed and stuffed the camera back into its bag before Keith could knock it into the water. “Come on, man, you know I had to.”

 

They got out of the boat and picked up their bags, Lance holding up the proceedings by checking everything three times, and walked up the dock. Lance finally put his shirt back on so Keith could actually look at his surroundings again without a mantra of  _ don’t look at your straight best friend _ . The sun beat down on them and the still water of the marina reeked of fish. Lance waved at people he knew, walking quickly towards the large white building in the distance. Photo-ready beaches filled with tourists stretched on either side of the docks, and to the left an empty black stage stood on the sand. Close to the building, there were several pools and restaurants as well as a seperate building for a spa. 

 

Keith could already feel his sunburn by the time they made it to the back entrance of the cool lobby. They waited in line to check in before shuffling up to a woman with a name tag that said, ‘Stella’.

 

“Lance! Dios, estas aqui!” 

 

Lance leaned on the counter. “Hola, mi estrella.” 

 

She rolled her eyes and became professional. “Checking in?” 

 

“Si. It should be under Papa’s name.” 

 

“Lance!” 

 

They all turned around to see Carlos approaching. He looked very different in a suit. Lance smiled widely and greeted his father with a hug. He warmly greeted the rest of them and asked about the trip down. Because of a last minute cancellation they were to stay in a suite, which was exciting in a normal, Earth sort of way. 

 

“Enjoy yourselves, okay?” he smiled at them. “No war today.”

 

“Nothing but normal teenage mischief.” Lance promised. 

 

Carlos scowled at his youngest. “You’ve caused enough mischief in my hotel.”  

 

Lance grinned and snatched the key cards from Stella. “But they haven’t. Bye, Papa.” 

 

“Behave!” 

 

“I always do!” 

 

Keith hung in the back of the elevator as the others chattered excitedly. Normal teenage mischief. Keith’s entire life had been anything but normal. 

 

“Lance!” 

 

They all paused and turned on their way out of the elevator. Luis was grinning and waving them over as a few other men his age went into a hotel room. 

 

“Hey, guys! I’m so glad you could make it! You’re Hunk and Pidge, right? I’m Luis. The cool brother.” 

 

“Thanks so much for inviting us.” Pidge said. “I mean, I’ve never been to a concert before.” 

 

Luis gave her a brilliant smile. “I love first timers! You’re gonna have so much fun! I’m gonna dedicate a song to Lancey-Lance.” 

 

Lance scowled at him. “Don’t even think about it.” 

 

“Hmmm...what’ll it be?” Luis mocked. “Bouncing Souls?  _ I’m a hopeless romantic...you’re just hopeless. _ ”

 

Lance turned around and walked away towards their room. Luis shrugged and shook Keith’s hand. 

 

“Good to see you. How have you been?” 

 

“Great, you?”

 

“Yeah, fine.” He leaned in a little closer. “Hey, do me a favor, make sure Lance relaxes tonight, alright? He’s been stressed lately.”

 

Keith frowned. “About...Voltron?”

 

“I don’t know, Vero won’t tell me.” Luis glanced back at where Lance was letting Hunk and Pidge into a room. “Anyway, enjoy yourself. I’ll see you at the after party.” 

 

Lance looked a little impatient as he held the suite door and Keith jogged over. Pidge had already claimed the bedroom with a solo king bed. The other room had two fulls, and then there was a living space that connected them with a couch. Keith tossed his backpack into a corner, figuring he would end up on the couch, while Hunk unpacked his bag on the coffee table. 

 

“You brought food?” Pidge asked incredulously.

 

“You’ll thank me later.”

 

“Okay, team meeting.” Lance said, plopping down on the couch. “Everyone gets a key card. I’d say stick together tonight but honestly someone would have to be crazier than Lotor to kidnap any of us.” 

 

“Pidge is small enough to pick up.” Hunk pointed out. 

 

“Pidge is a gremlin. We just have to remember to feed her after midnight and she’ll be fine.” Lance glanced at Keith. “Gremlins reference, by the way.” 

 

“I hate you.” 

 

Lance smirked and turned away. “But we’re here to have fun, okay? Normal teenagers tonight. Get drunk, make out with someone cute, whatever. But we’re agreeing here and now that whatever happens, we don’t tell Shiro.” 

 

Keith snorted. “Seriously?”

 

Hunk looked at him. “Uh, yeah, seriously.”

 

“And we don’t tell Matt.” Pidge added. “Because he tells Shiro everything.”

 

“Allura isn’t much better.” 

 

“Alright, fine, no one tells anyone anything.” Lance shrugged. “We should start getting ready. Pidge, let me do your hair?”

 

“No.” 

 

“But you promised!” 

 

“Do Keith’s hair. It’s longer anyway.” 

 

“No.” Keith said. 

 

“But Keef - “ 

 

“No.” 

 

“But it’s so pretty - “

 

“Fuck off, Lance.” 

 

“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” 

 

Hunk grinned at them, then turned away. “Dibs on first shower.” 

 

“Oh, like hell.” Pidge muttered, jumping up and speeding under his arm, then slamming the bathroom door shut behind her. 

 

Lance had his hands in Keith’s hair, and Keith froze. 

 

“It would look so good with like a couple of braids coming back into a messy bun. I do Sandy’s hair for her all the time.” 

 

His long fingers felt good, and Keith almost instantly regretted shrugging him off. 

 

“You need to condition.” Lance added. “I have some.”

 

“Lance, worry about your own scalp.” Keith sighed. 

 

~*~

 

They all took their time getting ready, so they had to rush to get down to the beach and find Lance’s family before the show started. It was honestly a little odd to see everyone dressed for a night out that wasn’t Voltron related. Pidge wore a loose t-shirt with the sleeves cut off over an electric green bandeau, looking decidedly more feminine than she had in months. Which wasn’t much. 

 

“I don’t like this.” she grumbled in the elevator.

 

Lance rolled his eyes and put a green flat-brim hat with the Taurus constellation on her head. “You’re basically wearing my outfit but newsflash, you still have boobs. As your older brother - “

 

“Adopted.”

 

“- shut up, you look great, you’re not running around with those mosquito bites out in the open.”

 

She took her hat off and frowned at it. “I’m not even a Taurus!” 

 

“Really? Cause you’re moody and stubborn, which are like the main traits.”

 

Hunk laughed, retying what he called his “good bandana”. He had on a orange t-shirt with huge black hawaiian flowers. Keith hadn’t changed much about his clothes - black jeans and red v-neck that his mother had thrown at him while he packed. He broke down and let Lance do his hair, more to shut him up than to enjoy the feeling of his long fingers in his hair again, but refused any braids. 

 

Lance may have been wearing basically the same thing as Pidge, but it was a completely different effect. He looked like a fuckboi, and Keith called him on it. Dark blue wife beater and a white hat on backwards. Keith was surprised he didn’t pull a beaded necklace out of somewhere. 

 

The lobby was pretty empty, but the beach was crowded with people waiting for the show. They wandered between blankets and lawn chairs until they found Lance’s family spread out on a huge blanket. They all greeted them enthusiastically and made space. Rubina pulled Lance right down next to herself and pulled him close, asking him about his day. Veronica, of course, made Keith sit next to her and put Rosa in his lap. 

 

Joel was busy asking Hunk a million questions while Pidge quietly ate the food offered to her. Everything stopped as Luis ran out on stage with a guitar and his band behind him. The family screamed louder than anyone else and he waved at them. 

 

“Not bad for a hometown show.” he grinned, leaning on his mic stand. 

 

The crowd screamed, and Luis turned around to talk to his bassist for a moment. They high-fived and jumped into a high energy song. 

 

It was pretty good music. Kind of alternative rock with Latin notes here and there. Some songs were obvious favorites, locals and tourists alike getting up to dance. Keith found himself pulled up by Veronica to dance, handing off Rosa to her father. He closed his eyes and let the music wash over him. He had always been a kinetic person - moving was how he best interacted with the world. Lance turned around and saw him dancing with his sister and sat there with wide eyes.

 

“Since when does Keith dance?” he asked dumbly. 

 

“Since this music is great!” Pidge yelled, pulling his arm “Come on! Dance!” 

 

Rubina leaned over and whispered something to her son, and he flushed and snapped his eyes away. He got up and pulled Pidge into a tight spin. Keith had to laugh as Veronica pushed him at her brother, who caught Keith’s hips before they could collide. The song ended and Keith was still laughing, and Lance released his hips. He slung an arm over his shoulders instead. 

 

“Seriously, since when do you dance like that?” Lance asked. 

 

Keith snorted. “You’re not the only one with hidden talents, Mr Aerial Acrobatics.” 

 

Marco whipped around. “Mr what?”

 

Lance looked petrified. “Er, nothing.”

 

The sun was starting to set, and on the stage Luis was handing a stage hand his electric guitar and taking up an acoustic instead. The lights spilled blue light over the stage as he sat on a stool that had been moved out in front of the mic. 

 

“Alright, I want to take it down a notch for a minute. Some of you know, a few years ago my little brother went missing.”

 

The crowd quieted. Lance froze and his grip on Keith tightened as if he was about to fall over. 

 

“Turns out, he took a little trip to outer space. Became some sort of crazy space warrior. Anyone ever heard of Voltron?” 

 

The crowd screamed again. 

 

“Yeah, well, little Lance McClain is our Blue Paladin. He’s here with some of his friends tonight, and I think we all need to say thank you for defending the universe. I’m told he’s a brilliant sharp shooter. Anyway, hermanito, we’re so proud of you. I wrote this when you got back. I had some help from Vero and Marco. I hope you like it.” 

 

Luis started to play something simple, and leaned forward to sing gently in Spanish. Quiet as a lullabye. Everyone in the crowd swayed gently to the music. Lance’s breath hitched. 

 

“What’s he saying?” Keith asked quietly. 

 

“He’s saying...you were always there, and now you’re free in the stars...little warrior, broken boy, what I’d give for your smile…” Lance trailed off and rubbed his eyes. “Quiznack, sorry - “ 

 

“He’s saying, you were always the best of all of us.” Veronica picked up quietly, standing on Keith’s other side. “He’s saying, you were a hole in our hearts. He’s saying we love you. And we’re sorry.”

 

Lance turned and pressed his face into Keith’s shoulder. “Sorry.” he mumbled. “I need a minute.”

 

Keith had never been in a position like this before. Usually he kept all other people literally at arms length. But this wasn’t that bad, even if Lance was a complete oxymoron of a fuckboi right now. Veronica gave Keith a sad smile, and turned away to give Lance a chance to collect himself.

 

Hunk came up behind them and wrapped his arms around them, and Pidge came in on Keith’s other side. The four paladins locked into their group hug, as if they could keep Lance from coming undone. 

 

“I’m fine.” Lance muttered into Keith’s shoulder when the song ended. “I’m okay.” 

 

They slowly released their various holds on him. 

 

“We’ll give you a bit of time with your family.” Hunk suggested quietly. 

 

Lance shook his head furiously. “You’re my family too.” 

 

Lance moved around the blanket, hugging each of his family members tightly. He paid special attention to his nieces and nephews, and ended up holding Rosa as he sat back on the blanket between Hunk and Keith. He looked marginally more cheerful. 

 

“So, are you going to remember this bonding moment?” Keith asked.

 

Lance rolled his eyes and smiled slightly. “Already blocking it from my memory.”

 

~*~

 

**_I'm sure that we could find something for you to do onstage,_ **

**_Maybe shake a tambourine or when I sing, you sing harmonies._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this kind of feels like filler, but it's not. Not really, at least. 
> 
> I'm going away for a week so I won't be posting but I will probably be working. So when I get back, expect updates. :)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> For all tomorrow's parties.

**Keith dragged his eyes open and groaned as he pitched forward. A small but sturdy frame caught him and his vision was obscured by caramel hair.**

 

**“Hey, it’s alright. You’re alive.”**

 

**“Alive hurts.”**

 

**“That’s just the stasis cramps. You’ll be fine once the blood starts flowing properly. But sit for now.”**

 

**He was gently pushed back into a chair, and he rubbed his eyes and pushed hair out of his face. Pidge gave him a once-over before looking at a tablet of his vitals.**

 

**“Why isn’t my over-dramatic fiance guarding my stasis-pod?”**

 

**“He was here, but he was over-dramatically muttering non-stop so I kicked him out. I don’t know how you stand it.”**

 

**“I have ways of shutting him up.”**

 

**“Gross.”**

 

**Keith smirked, then realized something and grimaced. “How mad is he?”**

 

**“If I were you, I’d stay in stasis for at least another quintet.”**

 

**As if to accentuate the point, an annoyed voice floated in from the hallway. “Is that gorgeous asshole up yet?”**

 

~*~

 

The show ended and Lance’s family cleared out, wanting to get the kids to bed. Lance ran backstage to talk privately to his brother for a moment. He was gone for awhile, but came back with a bottle of rum. 

 

“Alright, fun time.” he said in a voice that meant no arguments. “Let’s go!”

 

The after party was being held a little further up the beach, in a slightly more secluded area. There was already a large bonfire going, people crowding around kegs. The four paladins passed the bottle of rum back and forth, mostly sticking together. Lance introduced them to a few locals he knew, and went off to find his brother again. 

 

“Oh, no.” Hunk muttered, nudging Pidge. “Look.”

 

She looked out at the party. “Who am I looking at?”

 

“Lance’s ex. The one who ruined him.”

 

Keith looked around. “Where?” 

 

Hunk jerked his head towards the kegs were a tall blonde girl was talking to a skinny latino guy. Keith found himself grimacing. Of course she was a fucking blonde. As they all watched, Lance walked over to the kegs with his brother. He completely ignored the guy and started talking to the girl. 

 

Keith suddenly felt sick. 

 

He grabbed his friends by the arms. “Come on, let’s dance.” 

 

“What? No.”

 

“It’ll give us something to do. I don’t feel like talking to anyone.” 

 

Hunk frowned at him and stayed firmly rooted in place, but Pidge allowed herself to be dragged off. Keith took another gulp of rum and closed his eyes before letting loose. 

 

Pidge danced for one song with him, but then disappeared. At this point, Keith didn’t mind so much. He was tipsy, the music wasn’t great but it was loud, and there were a lot of latin girls who wanted to dance with him. Not his preference, but he didn’t mind. The beat pulsed through him and it became all that mattered. Pidge had taken the bottle away with her, and just when he thought he needed another drink Lance appeared and pushed a beer into his hands. 

 

“Having fun?” he shouted. 

 

Keith nodded and sipped his drink. It tasted like shit, but he didn’t care too much. Lance looked devastatingly good and off limits in the dark. He started dancing.

 

Lance danced fluidly. Like the water he grew up in. Where Keith reacted to the music and sparked with energy, Lance anticipated the next beat and was immersed. Keith could never hope to replicate that, and found himself transfixed as Lance raised his arms up and rolled his whole body, connected to the chest-vibrating base. 

 

Keith found himself leaving the crowd, suddenly tired. He posted up near the bonfire and watched the party. He couldn’t see any of his friends. How long had they been here? 

 

“Great party.” 

 

Keith turned to see the guy who was talking to Lance’s ex earlier. Up close, he was kind of cute. In a cross-eyed surfer sort of way.

 

“Uh, yeah.” Keith lied. 

 

“You look like you’re having a great time.” 

 

“I have one of those faces.” 

 

The guy laughed and held out a hand. “Sebastien. I organized this mess.” 

 

“Keith.” 

 

Sebastien held onto his hand maybe a little bit too long. Keith didn’t care. He was cute and Keith was a little drunk. 

 

“Hey, you’re that guy, right? One of the paladins.” 

 

“Uh-huh.” 

 

“That’s really cool. You must think this kegger thing is kind of lame.” 

 

“Not a lot of time for parties in an intergalactic war, so…”

 

“Well, I’m glad to be of service.” There was a flash of teeth that were almost too white. “In any way possible.”

 

Lance chose that moment to appear at Keith’s shoulder. “Bash.” he greeted flatly. 

 

Sebastien’s smile turned into a thin line. “Lance. Glad to see you’re back home.” 

 

“Good to be back.” Lance said coolly. “Go away.”

 

“It’s my party.” 

 

“And you’re harassing my friend.”

 

Sebastien gave Keith a look over, and when Keith didn’t say anything he turned away. “See you around, Keith.” 

 

Keith turned on Lance. “What the fuck, Lance.”

 

“Trust me, the guy’s an asshole.” Lance sighed. “Damn it, I didn’t know this was his party. Anyway, you can do better.” 

 

Keith rolled his eyes. 

 

“And he’s a terrible kisser. Like, the slobber variety. I doubt that’s something that’s changed in the past few years.” 

 

Keith rose an eyebrow. “Someone told you that?”

 

Lance gave him a surprised look. “What? No. I know first hand. I used to date that jackass.”

 

“What?” 

 

Keith’s world felt like it was being flipped upside down and shaken out. Since when did Lance like boys? Matt’s words from a month ago rang in his ears, but he still wasn’t really believing even as Lance was speaking. 

 

“Uhm, yeah, I’m bi? Why are you looking at me like that?”

 

“You never told me.”

 

“You never asked.”

 

“But you...you never flirted with...male aliens…”

 

“Keith, I renamed your space wolf after an alter ego of the greatest bisexual of all time. How could you not know.”

 

“That’s stupid. Everyone loves David Bowie, not just bisexuals. Damn it, Lance! Don’t do that!”

 

“Do what?”

 

“Make it into a joke!” 

 

“Why are you so mad?”

 

“I just...I never thought you were…”

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “I kind of stopped dating guys, okay? I have a type when it comes to boys and it’s like you said I bring out the worst in people. But I find men attractive and do like sleeping with them just as much as you. Dios, Keith, stop looking at me like that. I thought of all people you’d understand.” 

 

Keith blinked. “I’m sorry, I just...had no idea…”

 

Lance scowled. “Right.”

 

“Really. I just...broken gaydar.” he finished weakly. 

 

The corner of Lance’s mouth twitched into a smile. “You’re drunk.” 

 

“A little. Thanks for...rescuing me, I guess?”

 

“It’s what I do best. Come dance some more.”

 

“In a tick, I need another beer.”

 

“Sure.”

 

Keith didn’t need another beer, but he needed a minute to himself. Why did this matter so much? Why did he feel like this changed things?

 

_ It doesn’t change a thing,  _ a voice in the back of his head whispered.  _ He’s still your best friend. _

 

Was that what it was? Maybe he was freaking out because there was a whole part of Lance that he had no idea about? He had always just dismissed Lance as a horrible womanizer and flirt. But the fact that there had been someone, a boy no less, who made him like that…

 

It didn’t matter. Why was he freaking out? 

 

Keith got the beer he didn’t need and circled the crowd, looking for his friends. He ran into Luis and told him what a great show it had been.

 

“Thanks, Keith! Did you like Lance’s song?”

 

“Yeah, it was...really beautiful.” 

 

“My producer called me, he wants to release it as a single. I don’t know though. Lance might want to keep it private.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Lance would be insufferable if a song about him got onto any sort of chart.”

 

Luis grinned. “Yeah, you’re right.”

 

Keith finally caught sight of Lance and Hunk, and said goodbye to Luis to join them. As he approached, it became clear Lance was having some sort of issue. Hunk grabbed the Blue Paladin’s shoulders and shook him.

 

“Pull yourself together, Lance.” Hunk ordered. “You’ve got this.”

 

“What’s going on?”

 

Hunk glanced at Keith, and Lance pulled away. “Nothing. Hey, I love this song. I’m gonna go dance again.”

 

He melted into the crowd and Keith looked up at Hunk. “What happened?”

 

Hunk scratched the back of his head. “Uh...something about Bash...yeah, Bash freaked him out.”

 

Keith rose an eyebrow. Hunk did not have a great poker face, and Lance seemed to handle his ex fairly well a few minutes ago. Even if they both knew it was a lie, Hunk didn’t look like he’d budge. Keith took another sip of his disgusting beer and Pidge turned up at his elbow. 

 

“Having fun?” he asked.

 

She shrugged. 

 

“Yeah, me too.” 

 

“I just saw Lance. He said he was heading back.” 

 

Hunk frowned, looking concerned. “Really? He told us he was dancing - ” 

 

“Let’s go.” Keith said. “We can probably catch up.”

 

The other two looked at him in surprise. 

 

“Let’s be honest, we’re here so Lance could see his old friends. Are either of you really having that much fun?” 

 

Hunk turned and led the way. “You’re right. Let’s go.” 

 

They walked away from the light of the bonfire, picking up the pace once they saw the lone skinny figure of their friend walking with his head down. Hunk, with his long legs, caught up first and wrapped an arm around Lance’s shoulders. 

 

“Stop trying to sneak off like that, Buddy.” he said. 

 

“I didn’t want to make you guys leave - “ 

 

“Hey, we’re Paladins of Voltron. We stick together. Family, right?” 

 

Pidge pulled a new bottle of rum out of nowhere and handed it to Lance. “Got you a present.” 

 

Lance frowned. “Not sure if I want to drink more.” 

 

“Yeah, but it was the last bottle at a kind of lame party your ex was throwing. In about ten minutes, when people realize there’s no more booze, they’ll get mad at him.” 

 

“That’s really...kind of sweet, in a chaotic good sort of way. Thanks, Pidge.” 

 

“I try.” 

 

Pidge and Keith drank a good bit of the rum on the way back to the hotel, and when they got to the back entrance with all the pools Keith stopped and looked up at the sky. You could actually see a decent amount of stars, considering the hotel was lit up still. Florida had a lot of light pollution, another reason to hate it. 

 

“Keith! You coming?” 

 

Keith looked back at Hunk, holding the door for him. Lance and Pidge were already inside. 

 

“Nah, I kind of miss this.” he pointed upwards. “I’ll be in later.” 

 

“Alright.” 

 

He went inside and let the door drop behind him. Keith went over to one of the pools and lay down on a lounger. He rested his hands behind his head and looked up. He missed this. Growing up in the desert he could always see the stars. And there were plenty of rooms on the Castle with huge windows that he often found himself alone in. 

 

He wished he had one of Coran’s star charts, to see if he had visited any of those distant suns on their long trek back home. All the names he had painstakingly learned with his father and later in school meant nothing to the people who actually inhabited those systems. 

 

He closed his eyes and sighed. The weather was perfect, he might even fall asleep out here. He wondered if that was considered ‘normal teenage mischief’. If Carlos would kick him out of his hotel. He smiled slightly. 

 

Something light fell onto his stomach, and Keith’s eyes snapped open. A bag of chips rested on his middle. Lance was dropping into the lounger next to him with his own chips and a sigh. 

 

“Hey, man, you good?” 

 

“What are you - “

 

“Figured you might want a snack.” Lance looked up at the sky. He had taken off his hat, so he looked normal again. Less fuckboi, more Lance. “This is nice.”

 

Keith looked back up at the sky as well. He hated Florida. Cuba wasn’t so bad, but he really missed space. He knew he was probably the only one. Pidge projected the castle being done in three months, but that was being optimistic. 

 

“Can I ask you something?” 

 

Keith considered. It was really thoughtful of Lance to ask if he could break the silence. “Of course.” 

 

“Why did you decide to become a pilot?” 

 

Keith bit his lip, then sighed. “After my dad died, it felt like...everything was numb. Like I was always underwater or something. Everything was muffled and soft. I started doing really stupid shit so that I could...breathe.” 

 

“Like what?” 

 

“Like riding shopping carts downhill. Or jumping out of windows onto trampolines. I picked fights with the wrong people. Stole things.” 

 

It was almost like they were in their Lions again, chatting late into the night on the open comm lines while everyone slept. Stripping eachother bare as they laid out their sins and insecurities. 

 

“You were the troubled kid everyone tells the other kids to stay away from.” 

 

“Yeah, I’m a goddamn cliche.” 

 

Lance snorted. 

 

“When I met Shiro...the way he described flying...the exhilaration. The escape. I thought, maybe if I could do that, I could feel something again.”

 

“Can you? Feel again?”

 

Keith took a deep breath, and exhaled. “Yeah. But it took a long time to get here.” He turned and looked at Lance again. “Tell me about Bash.” 

 

Lance scowled. “Why are you so focused on this?” 

 

“Honestly, I can’t get past the part where someone actually wanted to date you.” 

 

Lance sniffed indignantly. “I am a wonderful boyfriend and a giving lover, Kogane.”

 

“Sure you are.” 

 

He laughed as Lance reached over to swat him. 

 

“Come on, Lance. I’m curious. That’s all.” 

 

Lance looked back at the stars, and his face relaxed again. He was quiet for so long, Keith started to think he wouldn’t get the story. Then Lance sighed and slowly started to talk. 

 

“I met Bash here, at the hotel. We were fifteen. I was working as a lifeguard and he was a server. He was...cute and fun. I’d never met anyone like him before. He was just up for anything.” He stopped and laughed. “We used to get in so much trouble. Mostly for making out in the service hallways but...anyway. He was my first...everything, really. My first relationship, first kiss, first time...but other stuff too. First time listening to punk music. He liked hardcore stuff but I was more partial to things like Bouncing Souls and Velvet Underground. First time eating sushi. It was weird and I hated it, but he loved it so I pretended. First time smoking pot...my mom found out and gave me such a beating. I learnt several new curse words that day.” 

 

“Lance McClain.” Keith deadpanned. “Lifeguard. Blue Paladin. Pothead.” 

 

Lance giggled. “Shut up. It was like...okay, three times. Realistically, Mama probably did more damage to my lungs than anything I inhaled.”

 

“What happened?” 

 

Lance’s smile faded. “It’s like I told you. I...brought out in the worst in him. I mean, he was always kind of a jerk but...he turned into a real asshole. Made me feel like...I wouldn’t be anything without him. That I didn’t deserve him, in more ways than one.” 

 

“Did you love him?” 

 

“I don’t know.” The question clearly caught him by surprise. He pondered for a moment. “I thought I did. But realistically I was fifteen and dumb. Now I’m eighteen and still dumb, but I don’t think I loved him. If that was love then...well, it shouldn’t feel like that.”

 

Having someone you cared about exploit your insecurities was its own type of abuse. The scars might not be visible but they could last a lifetime, shaping who you were and how you treated the people who genuinely cared about you for years. No wonder Lance stayed away from men...or anything that might look like commitment. 

 

Keith grimaced. “Yeah. I don’t think it’s supposed to feel like that either. How did you end it?” 

 

“I didn’t, really. I got accepted into the Garrison and just went. I never said goodbye. Or ended it. Maybe he wasn’t the only one who was a jerk. Anyway, after that, it was just easier to...well, you get the idea.”

 

“Push people away?”

 

“Not that. More like...avoid attachment. Push people who reminded me of Bash away. Why do you think I was always a dick to you?”

 

“What?” 

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “Shut up, Kogane. I thought you were cute, alright? Horrible haircut aside, you’re...anyway, it was easier to get under your skin and make you ugly.” 

 

Keith fell silent, and part of him wondered what Lance thought now. Desperate, he tried to kill that dark corner of his brain. 

 

Lance dug into his chip bag with long fingers. “What about you? Old boyfriends who might come out of the woodwork?” 

 

Keith looked back up at the sky. “No. When you’re convinced everyone you care about is going to leave you, you don’t really see the point in caring about new ones.” 

 

Lance frowned. “So you’ve never - “

 

“I said I’ve never been in a relationship, Lance.” Keith said gruffly, feeling his face burn. “Not that I didn’t have plenty of my own firsts.” 

 

Lance let that one hang in the air for a moment. “Are you still having your dreams?”

 

Keith was a little surprised he remembered. “Yeah.” 

 

“Figure out who he is yet? Your soul-mate?” 

 

Keith shook his head, and they were both quiet for a long time.

 

“Alright, my turn for a super personal question.” Lance said, sitting upright. 

 

“You just asked two.” 

 

“Yeah, well, you acted all weird about me being bi. I get to punish you indefinitely.” 

 

“Being your friend is punishment enough.” 

 

Keith laughed as Lance reached over and swatted him again. 

 

“Alright, alright, I take it back. Ask away.” 

 

“How did you come out?” 

 

Keith sighed. “There wasn’t really anyone to come out to. Except Shiro. And I didn’t have to tell him because he got a call from my school because the boy I liked beat me up when I confessed to him.” 

 

“Dios.”

 

“Yeah.”

 

“You’re just a walking shit-magnet, aren’t you?”

 

“Something like that.” 

 

Lance was looking at him, so he turned and looked back. His azure blue eyes shamelessly examining the pieces Keith had laid out before him. He smiled slightly, accepting what he saw, then looked at the sky.

 

“Tell me about your dad.”

 

“What about him?” 

 

“I don’t know. Whatever you want.” 

 

Keith told him about how they went camping almost once a month, so they could watch the stars. As he spoke he realized sadly that his father was probably looking for the inevitable Galra attack. When he said this, Lance said he wanted to believe that he was looking for Krolia. 

 

But then, Lance was a hopeless romantic. Keith wasn’t. 

 

Lance told him about the time he and Marco went on a fishing trip, just the two of them for the whole day. He always felt the most distant from Marco because there were so many years between them. He could talk to Veronica about anything and Luis he could make music with but Marco...Marco was unattainable until the day they spent in silence, on the water, pulling in fish. Marco taught him how to gut and fillet on the porch that night.  

 

So Keith told him about how Shiro bent over backwards and cut through miles of red tape to become his warden, when Keith had no idea what he could possibly see in some kid who was so broken and numb. Lance told him how great Veronica’s husband Joel had been, how intelligent and patient he had been even with an annoying loud kid like Lance. How utterly destroyed Veronica had been when the car crash took him from her, how she couldn’t even look at her children for months. 

 

Keith was sobering up, but he wasn’t even tired. Here he was, telling stories he’d never even told Shiro. He’d never even realized he had so many stories. But Lance made him feel comfortable. Keith almost choked on his chips when Lance explained the meaning of some of his mother’s favorite curses - it was still hysterical to think of sweet, mother of the year Rubina McClain swearing like the lovechild of a pirate and a military grunt. 

 

“Okay, there’s something you’re dying to know. I can tell.” 

 

“What are you talking about?” 

 

“Come on, Keef. Spit it out.” 

 

“Why do you have so many nicknames for me?” 

 

Lance suddenly turned away from him. It was supposed to be a light question, it wasn’t even the one Lance was asking for, but he was taking it seriously. 

 

“I have nicknames for a lot of people.” 

 

“Yeah, but I seem to have a lot.” 

 

“A lot seem to stick.” 

 

He was dodging the question. Fine. Keith could twist his arm. 

 

“Top or bottom?”

 

Lance’s attention whipped back over to him. “I knew it! Stop harassing me about my sexuality!” 

 

“Pick a question and answer it.” Keith smirked. “I’ll wait.” 

 

Lance’s jaw was hanging wide open. “You absolute sneak. Blackmail! Extortion!” 

 

“Just tell me why I have so many nicknames.” 

 

Lance glared at him, then grinned. The change happened so quickly, Keith barely had time to react. “I can go either way. I told you, I’m a giving lover. I fill the needs of the person I’m with.” 

 

“You just like sex.” Keith said flatly.

 

Lance giggled like a schoolgirl. “You make me sound like such a slut.” 

 

“Tell me why I have so many nicknames!”

 

“Tell me why you’re so obsessed with my sexuality!” 

 

Stalemate. 

 

Keith couldn’t answer the question. He had no idea why he was fixated on this. Because he didn’t know? Because he thought he knew all kinds of things about Lance, and suddenly there was something he didn’t know? That had to be it. Because any other answer was unreasonable. And it had absolutely nothing to do with the steadiness of that brilliant blue gaze as they stared each other down. 

 

Lance turned away from him and sat up. He looked around and yawned. “We should go to bed.” 

 

“Probably.” 

 

“What time is it?”

 

“No idea.” 

 

They stood and tossed out their empty chip bags, and Lance draped an arm over Keith’s shoulders and yawned again as they walked around the pool. 

 

“Hey, Keef? Tell me.” 

 

“You first.” 

 

Keith could feel Lance’s weight shifting away him and his hands moving to push, and he smiled inwardly at the thought of Lance trying to get one up on him. But his reactions were still a little slow from the alcohol and from being up all night, so he couldn’t get out of the way. Instead, Keith tightened his hold on Lance and dragged him over the pool edge with him, their bodies hitting the water with a smack. 

 

Keith found the surface and gasped for air, wiping heavy hair out of his face. More water hit his face as Lance splashed him. 

 

“Jackass.” 

 

“You were going to push me in, and I’m the jackass?” Keith rubbed chlorine from his eyes. “What happened to being worried about me drowning?” 

 

“I’m a lifeguard. I’d save you.” 

 

“Three years ago you were a lifeguard, your certifications are out of date. Besides, you were too busy making out with your boyfriend to do your job - “

 

Lance scowled and splashed at him again. “Like you’ve never gotten distracted like that.”

 

“You literally cockblocked me on the grounds that he’s a horrible kisser.” 

 

“Yeah, but he was hot. I thought he was back then, at least. Now, not so much. Also, you can do much better.”

 

“I didn’t know he was your ex.” 

 

“That’s not what I meant.” Lance looked away. “We really should go to bed. We’re soaked.”

 

“Who’s fault is that?” 

 

They both lifted themselves out of the pool, water coming off them in sheets. Keith kicked off his sneakers and picked them up. Great, now he didn’t have shoes for tomorrow. Keith looked up at the sky one last time, then followed Lance inside. 

 

~*~

 

Keith had a problem. 

 

He wasn’t even really sure what it was at first. He just knew he was feeling sick a lot. He was jumpy. He was distracted. He couldn’t draw, again. His dreams were worse, because now half of them were made up. 

 

Shiro had noticed something was wrong, and kept badgering him about it. Asking if something happened in Cuba. Keith kept telling him no, which was true, but also a bit of a lie. 

 

It was Lance. 

 

Lance was distracting him. But only when he wasn’t around. Because when he and Lance were together it was easy. It didn’t matter if they were training or working on something or just hanging out. Even when they fell back on bickering, it was just how they communicated. There wasn’t a bite to it anymore. Keith was honestly starting to wonder if there ever had been in the first place. 

 

The problem was when Lance wasn’t around. The boy was taking up his thoughts. Something did happen in Cuba - Keith just didn’t want to admit it.

 

He had never been especially good at controlling his emotions. He reacted to situations instantaneously, no filter. And when he did feel things, it was usually powerful and overwhelming. But he was good at focusing. The years he had spent fighting an inter-galactic war had given him a lot to focus on. So when he did occasionally feel his thoughts drifting towards desire he could easily distract himself. 

 

Besides, he’d always thought Lance wasn’t interested. That made it easier to kill the basic attraction.

 

But something had happened in Cuba. And now it couldn’t be taken back. Keith knew that there was the slightest possibility, and now his imagination was running absolutely wild. Lance wanted to know why Keith was so obsessed with the fact that he was bi and here it was. Because now Keith had the slightest chance.

 

He had a chance to know what Lance’s lips tasted like and his hips moved and how he felt against him when they weren’t trying to choke the life out of eachother. And he couldn’t block any of that out. And it was killing him. 

 

But it wasn’t just that. Because now that the door was open, other curiosities were floating through. Things that Keith definitely would squash if he could. 

 

Things like, if he made Lance just as comfortable as he felt. Things like, what Lance actually wanted out of a partner. If he was ready for that, now that Keith knew about Bash. Things like, if Keith could ever be that. 

 

He realized, one day after Team Lunch where he and Lance had bickered for half an hour about who needed a haircut more and successfully driving even Coran up the wall, that even Lance’s name felt pleasant in his mouth when he said it. Heavy and sticky and sweet on his tongue, like the mangoes that Rubina was constantly sending with her son. He had never really liked sweet things before. He’d never given that much thought to someone’s name before.

 

He realized he said his name often, that when they talked or argued half the sentences out of his mouth started with that name. He realized he had been doing that for a long time. Much longer than he had realized.

 

He wondered again why Lance never said his name. And wondered why Lance refused to give him a straight answer. 

 

They were moving deep into hurricane season, though so far all it meant was the commissary was depleted of batteries, candles, and canned food. Not that Merritt Island would really be in trouble if a big storm did hit - the military base was scrawling in generators and emergency services. 

 

Keith was at Pidge and Hunk’s place playing video games with Matt while Pidge sat on the floor next to Keith with an open textbook. Lance was sprawled across the entire couch, flicking through photos on his camera. 

 

Matt paused the game and got up to get himself a drink, asking if anyone else needed anything. Keith tipped his head back and looked over at Lance’s relaxed, bored expression, his freckles standing out in the glow from the TV and the camera screen. Feeling Keith’s gaze, he looked over and smiled. 

 

Keith’s heart leapt into his throat, and he knew exactly what it meant. 

 

Oh, God no.

 

_**~*~** _

 

_**This is for the lake that me and my friends swim in,** _

_**Naked and dumb on a drunken night.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Someone has a cru-ush.
> 
> I want to try to have this story completed by the time S7 comes out, so if the pace starts to seem a little rushed I'm really sorry. But I know once S7 is out, if I'm not finished I probably won't be able to finish it properly. Problems of writing in cannon. 
> 
> I know I said I wasn't posting again until I got back but if I went away with this unpublished I'd just nitpick at it for a week and not actually write anything new. So, enjoy.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith gets what he wants.

**Keith was in the middle of a battle.**

 

**Things weren’t going well. He could hear his teammates screaming for direction as Galra fighter jets broke their line. Adrenaline pounded in his veins, making all of his senses open up. The blue planet behind him was practically defenseless.**

 

**“We can’t get all of them!” Lance was shouting. “There’s too many!”**

 

**“We have to take out that warship!”**

 

**“Are you - “**

 

**“It’s the only way to turn them around!” Keith grunted as the Black Lion took a blast. “Form Voltron!”**

 

~*~

 

So, Keith had a crush on his best friend. A crush that he only realized because he now knew there was the slightest chance Lance could feel the same way. At least, he knew he was capable of it. Apparently without the constant threat of war to distract him, that was enough. 

 

He had half a mind to get in X-Wing 3 and fly back to the Blade. Or maybe somewhere else. New Altea was probably nice this time of year.

 

That wasn’t even the worst of it. Now that he was paying attention, he was noticing weird things. Like when Lance slipped up and flirted with him, because he flirted with everyone. How his cheeks went pink when someone called him on it. How Hunk would step in with something along the lines of, “Leave him alone. Look, a distraction!”

 

It was almost like he knew what Keith was feeling, too. All the sudden it was like he was coming up with new ways to torture him. Leaning over to whisper snide comments in briefings, merciless teasing, that stupid fucking camera always out and catching Keith at the worst times. Maybe he had been doing all this before.

 

Training was safe. In training he could shut those parts of himself down. 

 

Well, training was safe until Allura joined them and apparently she and Lance had started doing yoga together while Keith was with the Blade. Keith was happy that their friendship was finally back on stable ground, but how the hell was this boy so bendy?

 

Training was safe until Lance had everyone doing target practice and made Keith partake and decided his stance was not good enough and spent two minutes gently pushing Keith’s body where he thought it had to be. “Relax, relax.” he tutted. Keith was in hell. He could not relax.

 

And, Christ, it was like everyone  _ knew _ . His mother was constantly telling him to say hi to Lance for her. Everyone was full of flat comments comparing them to a married couple that Keith wasn’t sure if they were joking or not. Coran had gone as far as to ask them what their dinner plans were, as if it were a given that they spent literally all their time together.

 

Were they spending too much time together? Probably. It wasn’t Keith’s fault that Lance was just so damn easy to be around. 

 

Things really got out of hand one day when Matt was over to hang out and eat chinese food. Keith was only half listening to the conversation the others were having.

 

“Galra aren’t usually much for physical affection.” Krolia was telling Matt. “At least, not anymore. There was a time, before Zarkon, when the masses lived in peace and after military training you could live out your life. Now, though...there’s not much left that isn’t dedicated to the empire.”

 

“Mmm, humans can be weird about it too. Not everyone’s like Lance and Hunk. Pidge was surprisingly affectionate as a kid, usually because she wanted something. But some people just hate it. I guess you know that, though, with Keith.”

 

“Really? I think Keith is very affectionate. By Galra standards, at least.”

 

Keith looked up. “I’m not affectionate.”

 

“What about with Lance?” 

 

Keith flushed. “What - no. That’s different.”

 

Krolia looked a innocent as she drove the knife in deeper. “Why? Because you’re life mates?”

 

Matt sputtered out a laugh as Keith desperately tried to maneuver as far away from this as possible. How was this even a topic? Shiro was smirking as he struggled.

 

“No. No. Lance and I...train together constantly. And...it’s just who he is. He touches people constantly -”

 

“So,” Matt grinned, “you overcome your own discomfort so he can interact with you comfortably -”

 

“No! That’s not...screw you, Matt.”

 

“Oh, come on, Keith, we’re just having fun.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes and stood, and walked out the back door.

 

“Keith! Come - oh, nevermind.”

 

Keith sat on the back step of the condo, under the overhang. Rain was falling, pelting the cement like bullets. It wasn’t a hurricane, but they were saying there was one in the works for next week. Keith sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. 

 

He needed control.

 

The back door slid open and he growled, “Back off, Matt.”

 

“Just me.” Shiro said easily, sliding the door shut and sitting on the ground next to him with a groan. “Oh, God, that’s when you know you’re getting old.”

 

“It’s cause you don’t sleep.”

 

“You’re one to talk.” Shiro sighed and looked at the rain. “Keith, what’s wrong?”

 

“Nothing. Matt’s just a pain in the ass.”

 

“Something has been bothering you. We’ve all noticed. Lance even came to me asking if something was wrong the other day.”

 

Keith groaned and hid his face in his hands. Damn him.

 

“He seemed very concerned. Said you had been acting weird since he told you he was bi. Told you so, by the way.”

 

“God damn it, I hate him.” Keith grumbled. 

 

Shiro smiled slightly. “So, what happened?”

 

Keith spoke into his hands and finally admitted it. “I have a crush on my best friend because I’m a goddamn disaster and I know that I have a chance.”

 

Shiro snorted. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

 

Keith gaped at him.

 

“I know you, Keith. Your tells are obvious to me. Especially after that little performance just now.”

 

They sat in silence for a moment.

 

“Well, why haven’t you told him?”

 

Keith shook his head. “Can’t.”

 

“Why not?”

 

“It’ll ruin everything. I mean, he’s my best friend. We fly a gigantic robotic cop together. What happens when he rejects me? Or we fight?”

 

“You managed fine when you couldn’t stand each other.”

 

“It’s different.” Keith insisted. “We can’t risk that.”

 

“It’s a war. It’s all a risk.” Shiro looked at the heavy grey sky. “You know, it’s okay for us to choose to be happy. I know it seems unlikely, how could any of us ever hope for normal again? Would we even want it, given the chance? But I think something like...giving someone a chance to make you happy...someone who actually understands it...you shouldn’t walk away from that.”

 

Keith was silent.

 

“Obviously, no one is going to be surprised by this. You’re the kind of person who has to be sure before allowing themselves to fall, and you falling for Lance was bound to happen eventually. I mean, he’s been trying and failing to not pay attention to you for weeks.”

 

Keith’s eyes snapped over to him. “What? No, that’s -”

 

“Keith, the boy has enough pictures of you to make a shrine.” Shiro rolled his eyes. “And good God, sometimes the way he looks at you makes me feel sick. He likes you. Probably has for a long time.”

 

“I just don’t understand how this happened.” Keith groaned. 

 

Shiro snorted and smiled. “I’m happy for you.”

 

“Don’t be. I’m not. Why didn’t you stop this from happening?”

 

“I thought it had already. I thought you were just being your normal self and pretending you don’t have feelings.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. God this moment felt familiar. 

 

“If you’re worried about Voltron, don’t. I mean, things like this are what we’re supposed to be trying to protect. Fighting to survive is one thing, fighting to live is another.”

 

Keith was silent again. His future memories lined up before him, and he dared to hope that they all were Lance. Happily ever after, fighting a war that would never end. 

 

It came to a screeching halt when he thought about the one that he knew was about Lance. The beach on fire, Lance in pain, smoke filling Keith’s lungs as he screamed for him.

 

The future had to change. 

 

“I think you’d be good for eachother.” Shiro was saying. “Terrifying, but good.”

 

“You always say that.” Keith grumbled. “Terrifying?”

 

“You two dive bombed the control tent the other week because Pidge called you out for bickering like an old married couple. I’d hate to see what your teamwork is like if you were actually together.”

 

Keith looked out at the rain again. 

 

“Don’t run from it.” Shiro said, standing up. “You’ve always been someone who gets what they want, when they decide they want it. This shouldn’t be any different.”

 

~*~

 

Keith still wasn’t sure what to do, even with Shiro’s reassurances. Keith wasn’t an idiot. Now that Shiro had pointed it out, it was pretty obvious how Lance felt. But Keith still had reservations. The whole situation was too complicated. They were too close. The war was too frightening.

 

_ What if I lost him? _

 

What if he never had him in the first place?

 

What would that even be like? Dating Lance. The past few years dating anyone had just seemed completely out of the question. Now that the other person wasn’t a hypothetical and had a name and a face it was even more impossible. 

 

Keith struggled, and Lance seemed oblivious to all of it. Carrying on with training and odd errands for Pidge like nothing was wrong. Smiling at Keith like he was the best part of his day. Damn him.

 

One day, Allura called an emergency meeting after lunch. Everyone crammed into Pidge’s lab, sitting on any surface that was cleared. Everyone chatted nervously about what was going on. Allura looked stressed, and when she stood, everyone fell silent. 

 

“I just had a meeting with Earth’s leaders. Before we begin to build the new ship, there are certain contingencies.” 

 

Allura looked around the room, studying each of their faces. Keith leaned against a wall behind Krolia, keeping his face flat. Across the room, Pidge leaned up to whisper something to Lance, who smirked. 

 

“They’ve asked for...information, mainly. Maps. Technology. We can’t refuse them the engines and ships - they’ll be helping us build the ship. But the maps...it should be all of our decision. Are humans ready for this type of power?” 

 

Everyone tittered nervously. 

 

“The Paladins have done well.” Jirrieh murmured. “If we are to expect the same - “

 

“That’s different.” someone snapped. “Paladins are special.”

 

“What technology have they asked for?” Shiro asked. 

 

“Aside from the engines and basic quintessence drives?” Coran looked at a list. “Faster than light comms, teledove technology - “

 

“They’ll never be able to control that - “

 

“Information on various star systems and cultures, healing pods - “ 

 

Matt, Pidge, Hunk and Lance all shouted, “NO!” in unison. 

 

Allura frowned at them. “Healing pods are a miracle of medical science. This should be the one thing we readily share - “

 

“No way, Princess.” Matt said, shaking his head. “There is way too much dystopian literature about the rih using that kind of tech to keep the masses down.”

 

“Fiction.” Shiro sighed at his best friend. “All fiction.” 

 

“All fiction is based in truth, Shirogane!” 

 

“Matt’s right.” Pidge said. “Honestly, I’m surprised they’ve been as lenient as they have been so far. I would have expected them to have locked us all up.”

 

“They’re not all bad, Pidge.” Hunk argued.

 

“Having a heart of gold doesn’t get you a seat of power.”

 

Allura turned and looked at Lance. “What do you think?” 

 

He looked up from picking at his nail beds. “What? Oh, uh, I don’t think it’s my place - “

 

“I’d like your opinion.”

 

His face scrunched as he thought. “Well, we can’t exactly have them build all this and then take it away. And Pidge, you’re always going on about how knowledge should be free for those who want to access it.” 

 

Pidge nodded at her familiar wisdom. 

 

“So, I say we give it to them. All of it. Even the pods.” Lance set his jaw. “But, we give them a warning. If they misuse it, in any way, they’ll have to deal with Voltron. I mean, isn’t that what it’s all about?” 

 

The room was silent, and Lance looked uncertain for a moment. He looked around the room and met Keith’s eyes. Keith felt a surge of pride in how far Lance had come. 

 

“That’s exactly right.” Keith said. 

 

Coran clapped a hand on Lance’s shoulder and smiled slightly at him. Allura gave out a few more announcements before releasing everyone - warning them to prepare for the storm.

 

A hurricane warning had been in place for a few days now, but it still surprised them when it came. They walked out of the Garrison to find the sky was black and wind whipped at Keith’s hair and face. Lance seemed unsurprised by any of it. 

 

“See you guys in a few days!” he shouted over the wind. “I doubt we’ll be able to go anywhere tomorrow.”

 

“Lance you can’t drive home in this!” Krolia shouted. “You’ll be blown right off the bridge!”

 

“It’ll be fine!” he reassured her. “I just have to get there before they close it down.”

 

“Come stay with us. It’ll be safer.”

 

Keith bit back a groan. Last thing he needed when he was fighting for control. Lance wasn’t answering, so Krolia took it as a yes.

 

“Call your parents so they don’t worry.”

 

It was a quick and silent drive home, with Lance following them in his own car. In the rearview, Keith could see him gesturing as he spoke to his family. 

 

The rain started as soon as they parked, and Keith cursed as he, Shiro, Krolia and Lance ran up to the front door and locked it behind them. Inside, Shiro started to frantically run around and seal windows and shutters. Lance muttered something that sounded like “mainlanders” and began to help. 

 

“Why didn’t you do this earlier?” Lance asked incredulously. “All of Cuba did this days ago.”

 

“It was supposed to hit tomorrow.” Keith groaned.

 

“Some leader you are.”

 

Once the house was locked down, everyone settled in to wait out the storm. All things considered, it wouldn’t be that difficult. Like all the other buildings on the island they had a generator. Shiro at least had the sense to have gone shopping the other day. 

 

Lance and Krolia immediately settled in to watch TV - how did Keith not know that Lance was giving Krolia recommendations? Though it did explain the trashy romance novels she left around the house. Lance was turning her into a latina housewife. 

 

Keith pretended to help Shiro fix snacks while they took free reign and put on a historical drama.

 

“She needs to learn about the Revolutionary war somehow, Shiro!” Lance said as the older man protested.

 

“How long is this storm supposed to last?” Shiro asked, sounding exhausted. 

 

“Too long.” Keith turned away and dumped a bag of chips into a bowl. 

 

Shiro looked at him. “Are you going to be okay?” 

 

“Yeah.” Keith shot him a look. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

 

Shiro shrugged, but still looked concerned. Maybe because he didn’t get it. Keith liked Lance because he made him comfortable. Because he trusted him. Anything else would be unacceptable. 

 

Lance and Krolia took up most of the couch, so Keith put the food on the coffee table and sat on the floor between them. The space wolf curled up in his lap. He looked back at Krolia’s fanged smile, then at the TV again. 

 

This was fine.

 

The storm raged for hours, eventually sending Shiro and Krolia to bed. It wasn’t until then that Keith and Lance started slowly talking in jibes and snippets of recent events. Eventually they completely abandoned the show to talk. Keith moved up to sit on the couch.

 

“I won’t be at training tomorrow, or whenever we have it.” Lance stared at the ceiling. “Hunk and Pidge wanted me to test some stuff for them.”

 

Keith frowned. “Why just you?”

 

Lance shrugged. “It’s more important that you run your training program. Besides, if something blows up, I’m re-”

 

“Don’t.” Keith snapped, feeling a wave of anger roll over him. “Don’t finish that sentence.”

 

Lance bit his lip.

 

“You’re not replaceable to me.” Keith said flatly. “To anyone. So stop.”

 

Lance looked away, probably knowing it was too late to try to play it as a joke. Keith knew him far too well. 

 

Keith fought to push off the anger. He thought he’d had at least this under control, but the past few weeks he’d noticed he was constantly tense. Especially around Lance, everything just seemed to hit three times as hard. It was the tension between them, Keith knew. The sexual electricity that sparked now in the dark. 

 

Keith just wanted him. Maybe it was that simple. 

 

“Sorry.” Lance muttered. “Just kidding.”

 

The moment still hung sour in the air. 

 

“How’s Rosa?” Keith asked, desperate to change the subject.

 

“Adorable, as always.” Lance smiled. “Yesterday I took her to the boardwalk and won her a stuffed Lion. She slept with it.”

 

Keith smiled slightly. 

 

“Offer still stands, if you want one.”

 

“I’ll think about it.” Keith looked over at him their skin looked erie in the dead light of the TV. “Hey, Lance?”

 

“Yeah?”

 

“What do you do when you go out and visit the Lions?”

 

Lance hesitated. “I don’t know. Sometimes I just sit in Red for a few hours. I kind of miss it.”

 

“Miss what? The war?”

 

“Yes and no. I miss...space. New planets. New things. Space malls and space food and space people. I know it's stupid. I spent all this time missing home and now I just want to go back.”

 

“It’s not stupid. It's not like we planned any of this.”

 

“I guess.”

 

“Are you still having problems with your family?”

 

“Sort of. Marco and Trin finally moved back into their house so at least I don’t wake the kids up when I have nightmares. I caught Joel playing with my bayard the other day and ripped him a new one.” Lance looked haunted for a second, then it passed. “But they’re fine. I think. They don’t want me to go back.”

 

“Do you want to?”

 

“Do I have a choice?”

 

“Do you want me to give you one?”

 

Lance was silent. 

 

“It’ll be different this time.” Keith said quietly. “We can leave comms, and they’ll know where you are.”

 

“Yeah.” Lance sighed. “Just wish I had one part of my life I could control, you know?”

 

Keith stayed silent. 

 

“What are you thinking about?”

 

“Nothing.”

 

“There’s got to be something, Red. Something in that pretty head of yours.”

 

Keith groaned. “Why do you do that?”

 

“What?”

 

_ Flirt. _

 

“The nicknames.” 

 

“If it bothers you that much, I’ll just keep doing it.”

 

Keith scowled at him. “Jackass.”

 

Lance grinned widely at him.

 

“Come on Lance, stop avoiding it.”

 

“Not avoiding anything.”

 

“You avoid most things. I don’t get why this is one of them.”

 

Lance scowled at the floor.

 

“Just tell me.”

 

“It’s just easier, okay?” Lance snappeed.

 

“Easier?”

 

“What am I saying?” he laughed nervously. “Oh, wow, it’s late. Should go to bed.”

 

“Lance. Tell me.”

 

Lance looked petrified. Keith was frustrated. People always acted like Lance was an open book but god damn he could shut down when he wanted to.

 

“Fine.” Keith scowled, getting up off the couch. “Fine.”

 

He started to walk away. Fuck this. Fuck his crush. Lance couldn’t even tell him the simplest thing…

 

“It just hurts, okay?”

 

Keith whirled around to find Lance standing too, his arms crossed defensively over his chest. Keith cautiously walked closer to him. 

 

“What does?”

 

“Your name.”

 

“My name?”

 

Lance’s eyes were tightly shut as he nodded. He finally opened them and Keith could barely see their color on the dark.

 

“It burns in my throat. I try to say it and it just gets caught. It  _ hurts _ . I say it and I don’t trust myself with what I’ll do next. I’ll never say it in the context I want to. Cause you have that stupid...soulmate, or whatever, and you don’t...I just can’t, okay?”

 

Keith swallowed a lump in his throat. What was…

 

_ He’s been trying and failing to not pay attention to you for weeks. _

 

“What context?” Keith asked quietly. 

 

Something wild flitted across Lance’s face - something insane and something Keith had always been more than happy to enable. Faster than lightning, Lance closed the distance between them and connected their lips, jarring their teeth together. Messy, fast, for once direct and to the point.

 

Keith wanted to stop breathing. Or vomit. Or both.

 

Lance pulled back and refused to meet his gaze. Keith’s lip hurt from Lance’s teeth. Ached in his absence. 

 

All the reservations Keith had went straight out the window. It was three am, there was a hurricane outside, and impending war beyond that. It stopped mattering in about three seconds.

 

“I really like you, Keith.” Lance said in a small voice. 

 

Keith wasn’t much for words. Never had been. He stepped forward and Lance tensed, expecting...a punch? A rejection?

 

Keith pressed their lips together again instead.

 

To hell with the dynamics of their team and friendship. It could be figured out later. All that really mattered was that Lance’s lips were just as soft as he thought they would be. All that really mattered was the way Lance responded, cautiously at first, but then with slow intent. Slipping his fingers into Keith’s hair and letting Keith hold his lower back.  

 

Lance pulled away. “Keith, what - “ 

 

“Later.” Keith muttered, pressing their foreheads together. “Can we just...figure it out later?” 

 

Lance nodded, swallowing heavily. “Okay, later.” He pulled a little further back. “You aren’t taking advantage of me, are you?” 

 

“Lance - “

 

“Kidding.” 

 

Keith found himself kissing the other boy again, drawing slight moans as he bit Lance’s lower lip. Lance tugged gently on Keith’s hair to expose his neck, moving his mouth down in a series of kisses and nips. Things were rapidly flying away from PG, and they responded to each other instantaneously. Each movement matched, every touch responded to. 

 

Keith pulled him towards the stairs, gripping his wrist tightly. Lance snickered as Keith tripped on the top step in their haste, and Keith shushed him. Shiro and Krolia were sleeping - oh, God, they were here - 

 

Lance pushed Keith against the bedroom door as soon as it shut behind them, and any thought of being overheard was knocked out of their heads. Clothes were ripped off and tossed aside with no where near the care they had treated each other’s secrets with. 

 

Keith pushed him towards the bed and hastily dug through his bedside drawer, distracted by Lance’s curious hands and kisses on his shoulder. He hissed at him, demanding space to focus, and Lance backed off but taunted him to hurry up. Keith finally turned around with supplies, and was a little dumbstruck at the beautiful sight of brown skin splayed across the bed. His lips were swollen, his hair was a mess, and the ridiculous tattoo on his chest looked somehow better and even sexy in the dark. The brilliant blue eyes swept over him lustily - the Lance who was afraid to say his name had been left downstairs. This Lance was just as horny and caught up in the moment as Keith was.

 

“What?” 

 

Keith swallowed heavily. “I just...nevermind.” 

 

The well-kissed lips smirked slightly. “Spit it out, Keef.” 

 

Keith didn’t have words. There wasn’t a way to describe how badly he wanted him - all of him. Instead he joined him on the bed, catching his hands and his lips and trying to convey needs and emotions he didn’t fully understand. 

 

Things were frantic and hazy after that. A hiss of bilingual curses lingered with Keith’s moans. Everything felt new and raw and electric. No one had ever been so attentive to Keith in bed - no one had ever been so determined to feel him and move with him. 

 

The sky was starting to lighten by the time they were finished. The storm looked like it had burnt itself out before doing any serious damage. 

 

Instead of pulling on his clothes and running from the house, as Keith had come to expect from the men he slept with, Lance had settled into his chest. Keith wasn’t sure what the hell he was supposed to do with that at first, but quickly realized that Lance didn’t expect anything. He gently traced the Solar System tattoo on his back. 

 

“We can’t tell anyone.” Lance muttered, his eyes half closed. 

 

Keith’s stomach dropped out from under him. “What? Why not?” 

 

“Pidge stands to make about five hundred GAC if we get together anytime this month.” 

 

Keith rolled his eyes. Of course they had a betting pool. He briefly wondered how much Shiro was in for. 

 

“Were we that obvious?” Keith asked the ceiling. 

 

He could feel Lance smirk into his skin. “Well, you were.” 

 

“What?” 

 

“Come on, Keef. As soon as I told you I was bi you were a blushing mess.” 

 

“You were the one twisting themselves into a pretzel in my gym. With Allura, of all people. Have you no shame?” 

 

“Yoga is a wonderful thing, Keef. You should try it sometime.” 

 

“Hmph.” 

 

Lance smiled. “Hmm...we should do something tonight. Looks like the storm’s gone.”

 

“Like what, go out?” 

 

“Mhmm.”

 

“And do what?” 

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “I’m asking you on a date, jackass. Try and be a little more graceful about it.” 

 

Keith had to laugh. “Alright. What do you want to do?”

 

“It’ll be a surprise. Don’t give me that look, you like it when I take charge.” He gently bucked his hips against Keith’s leg. 

 

There was a sharp knock on the door. “Keith?” Shiro called. “Open up!”

 

“Shit.” Keith hissed, sitting up. So much for keeping this quiet. “Hide.”

 

“What -”

 

Keith vaulted out of bed, ripping a blanket with him and hastily gathering it around his waist. 

 

“Keith!”

 

Lance rolled his eyes as Keith pushed him down and threw all the blankets over him, then stumbled for the door. Shiro was on the other side with a flat expression on his face.

 

“Heeyy, Shiro.”

 

“You having a good morning?”

 

“Uh...yeah…”

 

“Seems like you’re pretty worked up about something.”

 

“Yeah, you know, just getting a quick work out in…”

 

Shiro was not impressed. Keith desperately wished he was a better liar.

 

“Where’s Lance?”

 

“Lance? I don’t know. Probably sleeping in the living room. Or maybe he went back home. Or something.”

 

Shiro rolled his eyes. “I could hear you two from downstairs. Where is he?”

 

Keith closed his eyes tightly, feeling his face burn. “Lance, come out.”

 

“Hey, Shiro. Morning.”

 

Shiro shook his head. “I’m...you’re adults. Just...keep it down.”

 

“Yessir.” Lance said in a small voice.

 

“I’m going back to bed. Your lucky Krolia is such a heavy sleeper. Just...there’s condoms in - “

 

“Okay, yep, I have some.” Keith said hastily, shutting the door. “Bye.”

 

Keith leaned against the door and covered his burning face with his hand. This was beyond mortifying. Lance was snickering as Keith listened for Shiro’s steps to move away from the door. 

 

“I hate him.” Keith muttered.

 

“That was some next level brother stuff.” Lance snickered. “Oh, man, the look on your face.”

 

“Shut up.”

 

“Make me.” 

 

Keith finally looked up at his lopsided grin and his heart pounded in a way that had nothing to do with being interrupted. Lance’s hair was sticking up in twenty directions and his eyes glittered with the challenge. 

 

“Fine.” Keith moved back towards the bed, but tripped over his blanket in his haste.

 

“Smooth, Kogane.”

 

“Fuck you, McClain.”

 

“Well, since you’re asking so nice…”

 

Keith collided with the Cuban boy and pushed him back down, smothering the laugh in his mouth with a rough kiss. 

 

~*~

 

**_And it should've felt good, but I can hear the Jaws theme song,_ **

**_On repeat, in the back of my mind._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Bit of a whirlwind. I'm sorry if it seems a little disjointed. The next few chapters will probably be a little rough. 
> 
> Did anyone else watch the S7 trailer and think, "Oh man, we're fucked"?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Good things aren't meant to last.

Lance left sometime around ten, saying he had to get ready for their big date. Keith got ready by replacing the disgusting sheets on his bed and napping, avoiding an exceedingly awkward breakfast with Shiro. 

 

When he woke up six, it was because of a message from Lance informing him that he had “two vargas to get his tight ass to Cuba before someone came for him”. Not wanting to think about the kind of relatives Lance might send after him if he was late, or if Marco was really as good of a wrestler as he thought he was, Keith got into the shower. 

 

He took a little longer than usual, letting water drip off his skin. Lance had left marks on him, and somehow he was okay with it.  _ Mine, _ they screamed in bright red.

 

_ Keith rolled his hips and groaned as the movement pushed Lance even further into him. Lance was looking up at him with something like wonder in his eyes, like Keith was something special and beautiful. He let out a curse that Keith didn’t fully understand and reached for him, nails digging in on his back and hips. _

 

He was oddly...nervous? That wasn’t the right word. Somewhere between nervous and excited. His thoughts kept flipping back to the night before, and he tried to keep them on the night ahead of him. Last night had been about breaking down the last wall between them, getting rid of the tension so they could just be. And Christ, if round two this morning was any indication it had worked. 

 

But now they were going on a date. A proper date, Lance kept saying. Keith had no idea what that meant. Especially because Lance point blank refused to give him any details, just instructions to pick him up at his house at eight, and he should probably eat dinner before he got there. So, not a dinner date then. That was good. Keith didn’t know if he could honestly handle something like that. 

 

Keith ate some leftovers from the fridge and tied up his hair, because he knew Lance liked it, then grabbed the power-stick for his motorbike, because he knew Lance somewhat hated it. Krolia was sitting in the living room watching the show they had started last night. She looked up when Keith walked into the room. 

 

“Going out?” she asked.

 

Keith suddenly felt embarrassed to tell his mother the truth. “I, er, have a date.”

 

A smile broke out on her face, and Keith wondered why he had ever been nervous. Krolia loved Lance. 

 

“I’m very happy for you two.” 

 

“Well, it’s just a first date.” 

 

“He’s not one to let go easily. I don’t think it’ll be the last.” She looked back at the TV. “If you come back here, try to keep it quiet. Shiro said he’d be having nightmares for a week.”

 

Keith groaned and grabbed his leather jacket. He’d never hear the end of this.  

 

Very few people were on the roads today, most choosing to stay home and recover from any of the minimal damage the storm had caused. Keith saw a few trees down, but little else. On the speedway, the ocean still looked a little gloomy and stormy beneath him. But Cuba was just as bright and vibrant as it had been the last few times he had been here, very much like the person he was on his way to see. 

 

Keith pulled up to the little yellow house and turned off the bike, then removed his helmet. Veronica was sitting with Lance on the front porch while Sandy and Joel kicked a ball around. They ignored him completely. Lance smiled brilliantly and stood. He had gotten a haircut - a little shorter on the sides and back, making him look a little older. He was wearing that soft green hoodie he had taken to space. 

 

“Take care of him, guapo.” Veronica called. “When you get tired of him, I’ll set you up with our neighbor’s son!” 

 

Lance whipped around and pointed a finger at his sister. “I’m only saying this once, Vero. That paladin is mine. You can back the hell off.”

 

Veronica chuckled. “Bye, chanchito. Try not to wake the kids when you get home.” 

 

Lance took a deep breath and resumed his approach. He gave Keith a soft smile, one that Keith could’ve sworn was trying to kill him. “Hi.” 

 

“Hey.” Keith handed him a spare helmet. “Where are we going?” 

 

“Havana. I’ll give you more directions when we get closer.” He pulled on his helmet and got on the bike behind Keith. “Let’s go.” 

 

“You’re going to have to hold on tighter than that.” 

 

“Please, Keith, third date at least.” Lance quipped, but comfortably slid closer anyway. 

 

Keith snorted at his audacity. “Oh, now he’s a prude.” 

 

“Mama always told me to leave room for the Holy Spirit.” 

 

If there was a God who gave a damn what people did in the early hours of the morning with another person, that God had abandoned Lance McClain a long time ago. He wrapped his arms around Keith’s middle, hips pressed right up to his back…

 

_...hips so sharp, Keith could have sworn he’d cut himself on them. Lance was taking a moment to adjust after flipping them over, tossing one of Keith’s legs over his shoulder and letting the other curl around his back. Eyes half closed, he kissed Keith’s calf and dragged his lips up, letting them catch on his skin. Sensual, beautiful in the morning sun. _

 

They sped along the coast, appreciating the darkening sky over the ocean as the sun set over the island. Lance shifted a few times behind him, but didn’t move until they entered the city. Then he communicated in a series of taps and waves, familiar from fighting together for so long…

 

Keith parked the bike outside a run down shack that was overrun with kids and teenagers.

 

“Ice cream.” Keith said flatly.

 

“Oh, no, not just any ice cream.” Lance grinned. “The best ice cream in the region. And believe me, I’ve tried them all.”

 

They took off their helmets and Keith found himself adjusting to his new haircut. 

 

“I just thought we could use a little bit of normal.” he shrugged. “So, we’re out for ice cream on a first date like normal teenagers without money.”

 

“Technically, I’m in my twenties.”

 

Lance rolled his eyes. “Alright then, papi.”

 

Keith winced. “Don’t call me that. It reminds me of your sister.”

 

“My sister?”

 

“It’s what she calls Shiro.”

 

A dark look crossed Lance’s face. “Oh, she’ll regret that.”

 

They got off the bike and Lance dragged Keith into the shop, joining the end of the line. 

 

“What are you going to get?” Lance asked, studying the flavor list. It was in Spanish, but Keith didn’t need it.

 

“Chocolate.” Keith shrugged, and Lance snorted. “What?”

 

“There’s a whole world of flavor out there, and you’re wasting your time on boring old chocolate.”

 

“I know what I like.”

 

_ Lance looked down at the place where they were joined, then leisurely dragged his eyes up the length of Keith’s pale skin. His dark hands splayed across Keith’s hips, securing him. _

 

_ “You should hold onto something.” Lance advised in a husky low voice that Keith prayed he never heard out in public. _

 

_ At the warning, some distant alarm went off. Whatever Lance was about to do to him, he probably was not ready. But he wasn’t going to stop him. He’d never stop this beautiful creature pouring over him... _

 

_ Lance moved, and Keith was lost. _

 

They got their ice cream, Lance having to try three different flavors before finally deciding on strawberry cheesecake. They found an empty picnic table nearby and sat side by side.

 

“But strawberry is so boring.” Keith mocked.

 

“This isn’t strawberry, Keef. It’s strawberry cheesecake. There’s a world of difference. Here, try.”

 

Keith cautiously took a bite of his cone and didn’t see it. Maybe it was a little creamier than regular ice cream, but it was still basically strawberry flavor. Lance leaned into him slightly as they ate. Everything just felt so...normal. It wasn’t too far from what they had been doing already. It felt comfortable and right.

 

The pile of photographs on the desk. The dark hands around his waist. His conversation with Shiro. The insults being called from the hallway. It all just fit.

 

Heavy black smoke on the beach - 

 

Lance perked up. “Oh, hey, it’s my song!” 

 

Keith pulled himself out of his head and blinked. “What?” 

 

But then Keith heard it too. Luis’ simple lullabye about the boy lost in space. He still didn’t understand the words but he understood the message. This time, Lance didn’t hide as he swayed to the beat and listened. He sang along, half-serenading Keith as he rolled his eyes and tried to hide his smile in his ice cream. 

 

Once, Keith would have thought it was conceited and ridiculous. Now, it was still a little ridiculous but he knew Lance was just trying to keep the mood light. Normal date. Lance had said the night before that he wished he had one part of his life that he could control. Keith understood that more than most. If this...whatever they were turning into...was going to be something they could control, Keith would give into it wholeheartedly.  

 

They finished their ice cream and threw out their napkins, and it became clear that Lance had some sort of plan in mind. He convinced Keith to walk around a little bit before they went home, see the sights and the nightlife. 

 

Keith wasn’t overly surprised when Lance pulled him towards a club, and started to talk their way in. 

 

“Lance, what are you doing?” Keith grumbled.

 

Lance just flashed him a wide smile, then turned back to finish talking to the bouncer. After a few more minutes, he stepped aside and let them pass. They hadn’t even had to pay a cover charge.

 

“He used to sleep with my cousin!” Lance shouted over the thumping bass. 

 

“What are we doing here?” Keith shouted back. 

 

“Dancing!” 

 

“Uh - “

 

Lance grabbed his hand and pulled him straight to the floor, to the middle of the largest group of people he could find. Keith nearly smacked into his back when he stopped, but Lance was already moving. Keith took a moment to wonder how the hell he had ended up here.

 

No use in being shy now. 

 

Feeling wild and brave, Keith stepped up to curve his body around Lance’s back, following his movements to the heart-stopping beat. The music was loud and sensual and somehow dangerous - dangerous like Lance’s eyes and hips. 

 

_ But I’ll never give you up,  _

_ If I ever give you up, _

_ My heart will surely fail. _

 

Lance tipped his head back and purred in his ear, “Reminds me of you. Lethal.” 

 

God, his newfound confidence was a turn on. Keith rolled his body against Lance’s, in time with the beat and amazed by how fluidly they moved together. How had it all taken so long? 

 

Doubt. Fear.

 

How could he ever be afraid with Lance next to him? 

 

_ No longing for the moonlight, _

_ No longing for the sun. _

_ No longer will I curse the bad I’ve done. _

_ If ever there’s a time when the feeling’s gone, _

_ And I wanna feel it.  _

 

Lance turned in his arms and caught Keith with a harsh kiss. He still tasted like strawberry ice cream. For a few split seconds, they weren’t paladins. They weren’t brothers in arms. They weren’t broken in ways that seemed to just fit together in all the right places. 

 

Just two boys who had talked their way into a Havana night club so they could start something terrifying and beautiful. 

 

They stayed there, dancing and laughing and just enjoying being alone together for a few hours. It was so rare they were alone anymore - there were always their friends around. So much work to be done. Or Elites, who took so much of Keith’s time and energy and frustrated Lance.

 

But it was starting to get late, and Keith suggested they go home. They had training in the morning, and Lance tried to beg for a seven am start time as they left the club. He was holding Keith’s hand again, leaning heavily against him as he begged. 

 

“Come onnnn, Red.  Make an exception.” 

 

Keith smiled slightly. “Just because we banged last night doesn’t mean you get to be lazy about training.” 

 

“I bought you ice cream! Boyfriend privileges!” 

 

They both stopped at the word, Lance flushing bright red. Nervous. 

 

“Is that what we’re doing?” Keith asked quietly. 

 

Lance shrugged and kept his eyes on the ground. “Maybe. I mean, we’re still us, right? Still Lance and Keith. Red and Blue. Just...now hopefully not sexually frustrated and you’ll have a few more nicknames.” 

 

Could it really be that simple? Was that really all that dating was? Keith doubted it. But it seemed as good as any place to start. 

 

Instead of voicing it, Keith smiled. “More nicknames, huh?” 

 

“Yup. Already have them picked out.” 

 

A shadow slid across their path, and Keith instantly tensed. Lance’s breath caught as he straightened up and released Keith’s hand. Five men, not much older than Keith, had surrounded them. One held a knife. 

 

The one in front of them snapped something in Spanish, and for some reason, Lance started to laugh. All five of the guys tittered nervously. Who laughs at knife point? 

 

“What’s so funny?” Keith hissed.

 

“We’re getting mugged!” Lance grinned. 

 

The order was repeated, and Lance just laughed again. 

 

“I’ve been waiting for this to happen! They have no idea who we are!” 

 

The guys all started to move closer, and Keith put his fists up. Christ, so much for Lance’s ‘normal date’. He’d take care of the knife first, just as a precaution. Hopefully none of them had a gun, but it would probably be out by now if they did…

 

One of the others spat on the ground and hissed out a word, and the laugh slid off Lance’s face. Keith had no idea what was said, but given the situation he had a pretty good idea what it meant. Lance’s face was overcome by something determined and angry, something Keith honestly hadn’t seen in a long time. 

 

“Yeah, okay.” Lance said. “No one calls him that.” 

 

He dove for the one who had insulted them, and Keith wove under the knife for a quick jab to the diaphragm. 

 

~*~

 

Keith slowed the hoverbike as they approached the house, Lance warm on his back even as the night air cooled. They had scared the crap out of their attackers, that was for sure. Lance somehow ended up with a scrape above his eyebrow when Keith wasn’t paying attention, and it bled like it was worse than it actually was. 

 

“Always getting hurt.” Keith had mumbled as he did his best to stop the blood with napkins from the ice cream shack. 

 

“Good thing I have my big strong man to save me.” Lance grinned at him, holding up finger guns.  

 

Keith parked the bike outside of the yellow house, and Lance groaned when he saw the lights inside were still on. Someone was waiting up for him. He dismounted the bike and took off his helmet, and took a few steps towards the house. When Keith didn’t follow, he stopped and turned around. 

 

“You aren’t coming?” 

 

Keith frowned at him. “You want me to?” 

 

“Someone has to tell my mother it wasn’t my fault.” 

 

Keith rose an eyebrow at him. Lance huffed and grabbed his wrist, pulling him from the bike. 

 

“Come on, she probably wants to give you the third degree anyway.” 

 

“Alright, alright, hold on.”

 

Keith turned off the bike and pocketed the power stick, and left his helmet on the seat. As soon as he was on solid ground, Lance was right back in his personal space. 

 

“Thanks for tonight.” Lance muttered. “I had fun.” 

 

“You planned it.” 

 

“Well, you let me.” 

 

Keith leaned forward and caught him in a simple, sweet kiss as the front door was thrown open. Lance groaned and pulled away as his mother called out, “Hello, Keith!” 

 

Keith grinned and looked up at her. “Hello, Rubina. Just dropping off your son.” 

 

“Don’t you want to - Dios mio! Que diablos paso?” 

 

“We got mugged.” Lance mumbled as his mother ran down from the porch and grabbed his chin to inspect his face. “Ach! Mama! Muy aspero!” 

 

“Was it that Lorenzo bastard child?” She demanded, still turning her youngest’s face in the dim light from the house. “Huh? I tell his mother every week to do something about him! But no, the sun shines out of his ass to her!” 

 

“No, it wasn’t Lorenzo, Mama. Some hustlers who couldn’t fight in Havana.” 

 

Rubina released her son with a good amount of disgust. “Havana! All my children run off to that maldito Havana! I don’t know anyone in Havana! How can I protect you in Havana!” 

 

“I can protect myself, Mama!” 

 

“Mierda!” 

 

The door opened again, and this time it was Veronica, wearing an oversized t-shirt as a nightgown. “Mama! Will you stop swearing! My children will grow up to be like Lance!” 

 

“I had to defend Keith!” Lance protested as his mother continued to glare at him. “Mama il llamaron maricon y - “

 

Veronica let out a low hiss and Rubina’s gaze swung around to fix on Keith, but now it was full of worry and understanding. She gave him a once over, making sure he was unhurt, then said, “Let’s clean the blood off your face, mijo. They didn’t take anything, did they?” 

 

“No.” Lance sighed, grabbing Keith’s hand and pulling him along like a rag doll. “Honestly, they picked the worst guys in the whole city to try to jump. I’m pretty sure I broke someone’s arm.” 

 

Rubina visibly flinched, but if Lance noticed he didn’t say. Inside, Rubina sat Lance down on a kitchen chair and started patiently washing blood off his face. Veronica announced she was going back to bed while Rubina told Keith to help himself to anything he wanted from the fridge. He leaned on a counter and watched Rubina continue to harrass Lance for fighting, even if it was a good cause and self-defense. 

 

“I should head home.” Keith finally said. “We have training tomorrow.” 

 

“Don’t be ridiculous.” Rubina snapped, waving a q-tip of antibiotic over Lance’s scrape. “You’ll sleep on the couch.” 

 

“He can sleep with me.” Lance yawned. 

 

“Absolutely not.” 

 

“Why not? It’s not like I’ll get pregnant - “ 

 

Rubina lost face for a moment and laughed. 

 

“You used to let Vero and Joel sleep together all the time!” Lance muttered. 

 

“They were older.” 

 

“By like a year.” 

 

“I should really just head home - “ 

 

“No!” both mother and son snapped. 

 

“Keith, you just got in a fight. Who knows if those matones followed you back here to jump you again. Please, just stay the night. Don’t make an old lady worry.” 

 

The look on her face was so genuine. So...Lance. One hundred percent Lance. And it was that look that, after a good bit of laughter at the My Little Pony bandaid on Lance’s forehead, had Keith stretch out on the lumpy corduroy couch with an old crochet blanket spread over him. Rubina whispered thanks to him for looking out for Lance as she made up the couch for him. 

 

Christ, they couldn’t have just one thing go right, could they? It was like Shiro’s belief that nothing could ever go smoothly for Team Voltron had somehow infected this already. 

 

All Lance wanted was one normal date. And Keith couldn’t even give him that. 

 

A tall thin shadow slipped into the room, and Keith momentarily tensed before breathing a sigh of relief. 

 

“Don’t do that.” Keith hissed, sitting up. “I could have attacked you.”

 

Lance wordlessly took his hand and pulled him completely up off the couch, then down the hall towards his room. Without the air mattresses, it seemed a lot more spacious. It had changed, too, since Keith had been here last. The old trophies were gone, packed away into a banker’s box in the corner. The desk was cleared of all old school things and instead cluttered with piles of PR notes. When did he start helping Shiro and Coran with that? 

 

“Won’t your mom be pissed?” Keith asked as Lance shut the door behind him.  

 

Lance shrugged. “I’m the baby of the family. I usually get what I want.” 

 

“That explains so much.” 

 

“Screw you, Kogane. You can go back to the lumpy couch.” 

 

“No thanks. Here’s good.” He climbed onto the bed and stretched out, suddenly not giving a damn what Rubina thought. “Mmm, much better.” 

 

Lance turned out the light and the bed squeaked and rustled as he slid in next to Keith. “She mostly just doesn’t want us fooling around when there’s kids in the house.” 

 

Keith hummed in agreement and looked at the cartoon horse on the bandaid and its weirdly dead eyes. Lance’s breathing was even and relaxed, even as Keith took a chance by moving closer. 

 

“Night, babe.” Lance whispered. 

 

“Night, Lance.” 

 

“Why do you do that?” 

 

“Do what?”

 

“Use my name constantly. At first I thought you were trying to give me a heart attack. I swear my pulse would skyrocket every time you said it.” 

 

Keith flushed, primarily at being called out, but also on behalf of Lance’s openness with the embarrassing details of his crush. How long had this been going on for? Maybe Keith didn’t want to know. 

 

“It just...sounds nice.” Keith grumbled. “I don’t know.”

 

Lance was grinning like a jackass, and Keith hated him for it. “Look at you, all sentimental. Have you been reading those books I gave your mother?” 

 

“Please, I’m not the one going over the top. My name burns in your throat? Really? Talk about pining.” 

 

“Oh, yeah? I saw how you looked at me when we were at the beach that one time, Keef. My tattoo is not that interesting.”

 

Keith opened his mouth to retort, but quiet laughs tumbled out instead. Lance joined him and pressed their foreheads together, his hand cupping the burn scar on Keith’s cheek. The laughs were soon giving way to quiet, tender kisses that had really no intention of going anywhere but felt nice anyway. 

 

But neither of them had really slept the night before and they had a long night of clubbing and mugging behind them, and soon they were both dozing off. 

 

_ This could be it _ , some quiet, dormant part of Keith’s brain whispered as he fell asleep. 

 

~*~

 

Dating Lance was not anything Keith expected it to be. But then again, he hardly knew what he had expected in the first place.

 

After sitting through an initial day of congratulations, I told you so’s, and general gloating, their friends left them to their own devices. As if nothing had actually changed. Which was true, in some ways. It wasn’t like they stopped bickering overnight. If anything, it got worse. But it was just how they had always communicated, and now it was easier than ever for Lance to get under Keith’s skin.

 

One thing Keith had been terrified of having to deal with was a conversation about PDA. He could just see Lance being one of those people who had to be all over their partner constantly, and for Christ’s sake they had space-marines to train. But Lance was surprisingly good about it.

 

Which wasn’t to say he didn’t. He was just very sneaky about it. Stealing kisses when no one was looking, grabbing Keith’s thigh or hand under tables, gently rubbing Keith’s back when he was frustrated. The gestures always managed to surprise Keith, and he was slowly learning to return them himself. Ruffling the short brown hair as he passed in a room, comfortably leaning in while they ate with their friends. Lance always just smiled and acted like he wasn’t surprised, like he knew Keith would catch up eventually. But usually those stolen kisses were a weapon, shocking Keith into momentarily forgetting what he was doing. 

 

That was okay, though, because Keith had his own ways of payback. Whenever Lance got too cheeky he’d covertly pull him into a dark corner. No matter how many times Keith did this, he’d always get far too tied up in the moment. Distracted. And Keith was very good at getting him worked up, smiling, and just walking away. A few times it had resulted in Lance being in such a frenzy by the time they got home, Keith barely had time to lock the door before his clothes were being ripped off. Oops. And the sex was only getting better as they learned each other.

 

But it wasn’t just that. Lance made a date night a point. Nights where they acted ‘normal’. They sat on the beach at sunset. Curled up together to watch movies. Sometimes just went for long drives. 

 

Work on the new castle was progressing quickly in Earth’s orbit, so Lance was taking a lot more trips out there on behalf of Pidge. When Keith had time, he’d often tag along. They’d sometimes just sit in space or race in Red to the Moon just to sit in the stars. Keith was rapidly feeling effects of homesickness for distant stars. Maybe it was just a restless part of him that couldn’t be happy unless he was moving.

 

Lance made him happy. Somehow, the boy who fidgeted constantly had the effect of making Keith still. His entire life had warned him against making homes out of human beings but that wasn’t what he felt like he was doing. He was just...allowing happiness. Lance was at once his twin and his opposite. His compliment. Broken in all the places so they fit together perfectly, whispering funny stories and jibes and secrets late into the night between kisses.

 

Keith had thought that getting together with him would stop the whirlwind of emotions he had suffered through before. It just made it worse. He was free falling headfirst towards something stronger and scarrier, things he didn’t dare put a name to. 

 

It had been nearly a month, and years later when Keith looked back, he wondered if things could have been different. Maybe if he had bowed to Lance's whim and stayed in bed, would it have changed anything? Maybe if he hadn’t stayed up so late watching that cartoon with Lance’s nieces and nephews, he would have been more focused. Maybe if he hadn’t pushed everyone so hard in training, they’d be ready. Or maybe he could have pushed harder?

 

But that morning, it started like any other. They really only stayed in Cuba when they didn’t have training in the morning, so they could sleep in and have the house to themselves for a bit. Rubina had almost instantly given up on keeping them from sharing a bed, as long as they didn’t do anything loud with children in the house. 

 

Keith had been up early, drinking coffee with Rubina while Veronica ran around trying to get the twins ready for school. Rubina was telling Keith with excitement that she and Carlos were both taking the afternoon off for their anniversary. Carlos had some big plan that probably did not involve a dinner out, which was exactly what Rubina wanted. Veronica and the kids were going to stay at Marco’s for the night.

 

Great. Subtle hint for Lance to stay in Florida tonight. 

 

Everyone left for work or school and Keith took two mugs of coffee back to Lance’s room. Lance was still asleep on his side, sucking on his teeth as he slept. It drove Keith crazy, and he had no idea how to stop it. Was he not drinking enough water? Was it oral fixation? He had no idea and he was far too embarrassed to ask Pidge. 

 

Keith sat up in bed and read reports on his data pad while drinking his coffee from a chipped brown mug. Everything in the house had various stages of wear on it, but Keith liked it. It just felt lived in and well loved like a good book. He had gotten used to the smell of the sea in the morning and heavy, sticky fruits at night. No wonder Lance had always been so damn irritating about how wonderful it was.

 

There was a soft groan next to him, and he looked down to see Lance’s face pucker then slowly unfurl. His eyes fluttered open, then shut again.

 

“mmmmquehoraes?” he slurred.

 

“Nine-thirty.”

 

Lance nodded, then paused. “You speak Spanish?”

 

“That’s always your first question in the morning. I finally asked Vero to make sure you weren’t insulting me.”

 

But a grin was spreading across his stupidly pretty face. “Awwwwh, babe, you’re learning Spanish cause you like meeee.”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Sure, Lance. Whatever you want.”

 

Lance laughed and wrapped an arm around Keith’s waist, trying to pull him closer. Keith cursed as he almost spilled his coffee over the idiot’s head and set it and the data pad to the side, then dove in to pin Lance’s arms by his sides. He didn’t try that hard, and Lance had soon freed himself and was placing messy kisses all over Keith’s face and neck. He finally let up and grinned.

 

“Morning.”

 

“Morning.”

 

Lance slumped against him, letting their bodies melt together. 

 

“You should stay with me tonight.” Keith murmured. “Your mom said she and your dad are celebrating their anniversary.”

 

“Oh.” Two beats. “Ohhh, ew. Gross. Yes, definitely staying with you.”

 

Keith snorted. “It’s just sex, Lance. We do it all the time.”

 

“My mother never had sex.”

 

“You’re the youngest of four children!”

 

“So?”

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “Right. Well, if it helps, I think your dad is planning a cute night in.” Keith’s data pad blipped with a reminder and he sat up to look at it. “Crap.”

 

“What’s wrong?”

 

Keith let his head fall back onto the pillow. “I forgot I have a meeting.”

 

“Nooo. You have a regularly scheduled meeting with my dick.”

 

“Smooth. Classy. Why do I like you again?”

 

“My sparkling personality.”

 

He pushed Lance off him to get into the shower, regretting not waking him up earlier. Lance whined at him but reached for his coffee, and sighed happily when he took a sip. He was endlessly amazed at how Keith managed to get it just right. Keith was half convinced he was lying, because there was no way something with that much milk and sugar in it could taste good. 

 

Keith really didn’t want to drag this out. He showered and dressed quickly, running a brush through his damp hair. He threw his dirty clothes in a bag and said to Lance, “Your mom will be home around two. Wanna meet me around one for lunch?” 

 

“Sounds good. Can we go to that noodle place you like?” 

 

“Why?” 

 

“Cause you like it.” 

  
  


Keith rose an eyebrow at him. 

 

“And I want to see if I can get you to snort noodles out your nose again.” 

 

Keith shook his head. “You’re lucky you’re cute.” 

 

Lance propped his chin on his fist. “Do you really have to go?” 

 

“Yes.” 

 

“Have I told you how devastatingly handsome you are today?” 

 

Keith rolled his eyes. “I have to go, Lance.” 

 

“But it’s true.” The blue eyes held the violet. “If you want I could show you.” 

 

Keith raised an eyebrow and Lance took it as permission. He leaned forward and kissed him, gently at first but was soon pulling Keith in closer, wrapping his fingers in long, black hair. Keith rested his hands on his hips and dropped a few kisses on his neck, making Lance sigh. Lance was playing a game he couldn’t hope to win, and they both knew it.

 

“Lance?” 

 

“Mmm?” 

 

Keith nuzzled under his ear and whispered. “I’m going to work.” 

 

Lance yelped as Keith pushed him back onto the bed. “Asshole!” 

 

Keith grinned and turned around, scooping his bag up off the floor. “I’ll see you later.” 

 

It would be the last Keith would see of his boyfriend for a very long time. 

 

~*~

 

Keith had been on his way to his meeting when an alarm sounded on Merritt Island. He froze completely, trying to place the sound. Which one was this? Not the fire alarm…

 

No.

 

Keith turned around and hauled ass to Pidge’s lab, where the door was already being ripped open. He collided with Hunk. 

 

“It’s Sendak! His ship, we saw it on the scans!”

 

“Where’s your armor?” 

 

“In my Lion - “

 

“Go!”

 

Keith pulled out his phone and called Lance, sprinting up the hall after Hunk. 

 

“I know!” Lance answered by way of hello. “Pidge already called!” 

 

Heavy footsteps as two lines of Elites jogged in the opposite direction to gear up. 

 

“How far are you?” 

 

“Ten minutes. My gear’s in Red.” 

 

That’s right. They moved it after he caught Joel playing with it for the third time. 

 

“Do better.” Keith told his Right Hand.

 

He could hear the twisted smile in Lance’s voice. “Roger, Samurai.” 

 

Later, Keith would barely remember sprinting across the airfield to his Lion, hastily pulling on his flight-suit and armor. The odd relief he felt, wearing the red and white again. The Black Lion roaring and launching into space. The reassuring sounds of his friends in his ear again. Shiro calling out orders to Matt and Jirreh, Elites loading into shuttles and X-Wings. Coran, good old steady Coran, calling out patterns from his command center in Pidge’s lab. 

 

“They’re aiming for the new castle!” Allura called.

 

“I already installed the new shields. It’ll buy us some time. We need to protect the Earth!”

 

“Pidge, where are you?”

 

“Already in the air. How the hell did they find us?”

 

“A scout must have followed us.” Matt offered quietly. 

 

“How?” Hunk demanded. “We scanned every moment of our trip back.”

 

“Well, we did make some stops. Maybe someone talked.”

 

“Where the fuck is Lance?” Pidge demanded. “He’s missing the party!” 

 

Lance’s voice came over the comms, clear as day. “I am the party, peasant.” 

 

“Lance!”

 

The Red Lion streaked by Keith and dove towards Sendak’s ship without hesitation. As if it was what they were waiting for, hundreds of fighters soared out of the huge battleship. 

 

“Don’t let them get to the Earth!” Keith ordered. “Matt! Go stealth, get a team on that battleship! We need to take Sendak down, here and now.” 

 

Lance streaked through two cruisers with his Lion’s mouth blade. “Hey, we’re still on for lunch, right?”

 

“Is now really the time?” Allura groaned.

 

Keith grinned. “Whoever shoots down less Galra pays.” 

 

“Hah, hope you’ve been saving up, carino.”

 

“Where are you guys going to lunch?” Hunk asked. 

 

“That noodle place on Atlantic.” 

 

Hunk blasted his cannon at the battleship, trying to find a weak spot in the shield. “Never been.” 

 

“You should come. Not like it’s a date or anything. Keith refuses to go on meal-dates with me.” 

 

“I’m sorry.” Keith growled, aiming at a small formation of fighters. “Maybe if my boyfriend weren’t so focused on getting me to make an ass of myself in public - “ 

 

“Keith! On your left!” 

 

Keith swerved and narrowly avoided a blast. He swore as more Galra fighters joined the mix - where were these all coming from? 

 

He could hear his teammates screaming for direction as Galra fighter jets broke their line. Adrenaline pounded in his veins, making all of his senses open up. The blue planet behind him was practically defenseless. Even from here, Keith could see damage being done to cities. This was all happening too fast, they had come too prepared. Luckily, the main weapon of the battleship was focused on the castle. Pidge’s shield was holding but she cried out in alarm when its deflect-ability plunged to 90%. 80%. 70%. 

 

“We can’t get all of them!” Lance was shouting. “There’s too many!” 

 

“We have to take out that battleship!” 

 

“Are you - “

 

“It’s the only way to turn them around!” Keith grunted as the Black Lion took a blast. “Form Voltron!” 

 

It had been so long since they’d done this, but it came like breathing. The little nudges of everyone’s minds - not enough to really see thoughts or emotions but just enough to know they all were there. One goal uniting them, one thing on their minds. Protect. Defend. Fight.

 

Voltron rushed at the battleship, shield up to deflect the immense purple beam from the cannon perched on top. Matt’s soldiers had only made it as far as the flight bay, but they ransacked and raided like pirates, destroying anything they could touch. 

 

Hunk shouted for Matt to get everyone off the ship as Voltron descended with its huge sword. A huge crack appeared in the hull. 

 

The fighters were turning around, responding to a call from the ship. 

 

Voltron chased the ship as far as Jupiter, before it finally hyper-jumped away. Voltron disbanded, and Keith took several deep breaths. 

 

“Everyone alright?” he asked. 

 

“...Yeah.” 

 

Live another day. 

 

“Coran, what’s the report?” Allura asked. “What cities have taken damage?” 

 

Silence. 

 

“Coran?” 

 

The royal advisor gave a quiet cough. “Plenty of cities have taken damage. There’s no casualty count yet, but...they destroy everything in their path…”

 

“We need to go help.” Allura said.

 

“Lance...I’m so sorry…”

 

Lance’s head snapped up at being singled out. 

 

“...one of the fighters went after your hometown - “

 

No.

 

Before anyone could react, Lance was ripping Red around and diving back towards the Earth with the throttle wide open. 

 

No.

 

The whole team dove after him, crying for him to slow down, stop, it didn’t mean anything.

 

_ No. _

 

Keith chased the streak of red down to the surface, landing Black half in the water next to Yellow. He froze when he realized he couldn’t see out onto the beach. Everything was covered in black smoke. An ocean breeze momentarily shifted the clouds to show...fire.

 

Everything was on fire. 

 

“Lance!” Hunk called into the comms. “It’s not safe to go out! Damn it, he’s gone.” 

 

“Find him.” Keith ordered, jumping out of his seat. 

 

He tried to move fast, tried to run, but everything seemed to be slowing down. He could see the moment happening before it did. Feel his heart breaking as he tried to convince himself, maybe Carlos changed his mind and took Rubina out for dinner in Havana. Or maybe they hid in a neighbor’s basement. 

 

The future could change. 

 

Keith touched down on a sandy beach. Heavy black smoke floated across the sand, choking him as he ripped off his helmet. 

 

“LANCE!” 

 

Everything was hot, and somewhere another building collapsed. Keith stepped on a wooden board and looked down. A sign for one of the boardwalk games. One that had Lions as prizes. Lance had never gotten around to winning him one...

 

“LANCE!”

 

“I FOUND HIM! FOUND HIM!”

 

Keith sprinted through the smoke and hoisted himself up onto the boardwalk. Keith dove between the buildings to the back streets, and ran, his lungs working overtime to find clean air. He went back two blocks of ruins before he found the Blue Paladin kneeling in the street with Hunk standing over him. 

 

Lance was howling in pain. 

 

Keith stopped and stared at the burnt out structure Lance had collapsed in front of. The roof had collapsed in, the ground was scorched, the soccer net burnt to a crisp. The yellow walls were smoke stained and crumbling. And it was silent. 

 

The house was destroyed, and so was everyone in it. 

 

Hunk reached down to touch Lance, and Lance pushed him away. Hunk tried again, and Lance shoved harder. A horrible ripping sound was escaping his chest and he heaved, trying to breathe. 

 

“Lance, get up - “

 

Lance punched Hunk this time, missing wildly. Keith’s attention snapped over to them, and he tried to stop the pain in his chest and throat. He approached Lance, leaning down as Hunk had. Lance wildly punched and fought again, this time a closed fist connected with Keith’s jaw. Keith ignored the jarring pain and knelt next to him, wrapping his arms as tightly as he could around the lanky frame. Lance fought, trying to kick and punch him away until finally giving in and sobbing into his shoulder. 

 

Keith closed his eyes and all he could see was Rubina, sipping her coffee from a bright yellow mug. 

 

_ “Just a quiet night in, no kids.” she smiled as she told Keith. “Honestly, it’s about damn time we had some peace and quiet around here.” _

  
~*~

 

**_Make sure you kiss your knuckles before you punch me in the face._ **

_**There are lessons to be learned, consequences for all the stupid things I say.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Uhm...yeah...so...this was kind of the point of the whole story. And, I'm sorry. 
> 
> I know it's considered 'bad writing' but at least part of the next chapter will be in Veronica's point of view. I think it'll be the best way to approach it, and it'll also give some more background on Lance and feed into the love story.


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith picks up broken pieces.

_ Veronica _

 

When Veronica couldn’t reach her parents, her whole body went cold. 

 

Marco panicked. He was yelling at his wife out of stress, trying to reach old neighbors and family friends. But  _ no one  _ was picking up. 

 

Then the phone rang. 

 

Shirogane Takashi, telling her that her parents were most likely dead. That Lance was being taken back to Florida with Keith. Asking her if the rest of their family was okay. Where was Luis? Someone had to go to the Elementary school and identify the bodies. 

 

Veronica went. 

 

It took hours. She was the first to arrive, even before any of the...corpses. She sat on the floor against her old locker and focused on breathing. 

 

The look on Marco’s face when she told him…

 

She tried to keep her mind blank, but memories of her parents kept surfacing. She sobbed in the dark hallway, feeling a new hole ripped in her heart. Gone, in a heartbeat. Just like Joel.

 

Her kids were safe. That was something to be grateful for. Her brothers. The brothers who held her up when Joel died, taking turns dragging her out of bed. 

 

Her mother, holding her tight when the tears just wouldn’t come anymore. The perfume her mother used on special occasions. Had she been wearing it for her anniversary? 

 

Her father, gently taking the twins out of her room. “Mami can’t play today, maybe tomorrow.” His own heart breaking at the sight of the shell his only daughter had become. 

 

She had to pull herself together. She had to do this. She knew what had to be done, because...because she had done it before. 

 

Veronica dried her face, stood, and walked into the ancient gymnasium where bodies were being laid out by volunteers and doctors and nurses. A squat woman with grey hair took her name and the address, and then led her to a corner of the basketball court. 

 

Her mother, hit in the back of the head by a falling piece of roof. She had died instantly. Her father, crushed under a wall as he tried to get to his wife. The nurse did not reassure her about a painless passing. 

 

The little gold cross Mama always wore gleamed in the dim lights, and Veronica found that she couldn’t remember any prayers anymore. 

 

Veronica signed the paperwork, and left. 

 

At Marco’s house, everything was silent. Luis had been found, and he was passed out on the couch with a blanket tossed over him. She could hear quiet, gasping sobs coming from Marco and Trinity’s room. Marco was always closest to Papa…

 

Veronica trapped her ears under her hands, like if she could just block out the sound…

 

Grief does funny things to people. 

 

In the case of Veronica, she pulled herself together, and sat at the kitchen table. No one else knew what had to be done. And it wasn’t like her brothers would be any help right now. 

 

Marco would do exactly what everyone expected of him. Because that was who he was. He would go through the stages of grief, and he would be alright in the end. He had his wife and his children. And he’d carry it with him, the loss of his parents, but he’d overcome it. 

 

Luis was their artist. The one who always just felt so deeply. His response would most likely be a bender, probably one that would last a year. Hopefully he’d stay away from any hard drugs. Maybe he’d end up writing an album. Eventually, he’d come to terms with the loss. 

 

And then Lance...oh, God, Lance would be devastated. In more ways than Veronica could even think of. Though sometimes she looked at him and barely recognized him anymore…

 

She grabbed a pen and a notepad, and started to make lists.

 

To do lists, lists of people to call, who had to be notified, what foods had to be cooked. Who was going to stay here, who would have to find a hotel. All her own belongings and her children’s that had to be replaced, what they needed immediately and what could wait. It took her hours. 

 

When she was finally done, she stuck all the lists to the fridge and peered in at her children before going and getting a few hours of sleep. 

 

She woke up and started working immediately. 

 

She made breakfast, ignoring her sister-in-law staring as Veronica took control of her house. She forced both her brothers to eat, then kicked all the kids outside to play to get them out of the way. 

 

She started cleaning.

 

Trinity caught on to what was going on when she saw the to-do lists. And the fact that now Veronica was McClain Family Matriarch. She had taken control of the situation, because someone had to, and Trinity could either help or get out of the way. 

 

Everything was vacuumed, scrubbed, polished, washed, fluffed. They moved Rosa’s crib into her parent’s room and put the rest of the kids in one room. They made up beds wherever they would fit. Even one in the sunroom out back. 

 

Veronica made her first phone call. He picked up on the third ring, sounding exhausted. 

 

“Hello?”

 

“Keith? It’s Vero.”

 

“Oh. I...Vero, I’m so sorry - “ 

 

“You and Lance need to come home now.” she said, her voice tight. 

 

Keith sighed, a rush of static. “Vero...he’s not in good shape.”

 

“I know.” 

 

A long pause. “Okay, I’ll...I’ll drive him home first thing - “

 

“Did I fucking stutter?” Veronica yelled. 

 

Trinity whirled around, eyes wide. Marco and Luis fearfully entered the room. 

 

“I don’t know what he sees in a deaf cabron like you! You will  _ both _ come home now. I don’t care what the hell the Garrison wants, or that damn princessa of yours, but you will get your fucking ass down here, Keith Kogane. We need our brother here. And he needs you. So you will both be here, tonight, before dinner.” 

 

Shocked silence, then, “Okay, Vero. I’m sorry. I’ll pack now.” 

 

“Good. See you before seven.” 

 

Veronica hung up and looked at her family. “What?” she snapped. 

 

They all turned away.

 

Veronica made more calls, and Trinity started working on dinner. There was so much family to notify, listening to aunties and cousins sob on the phone. It was easier to deal with the bank, the lawyer, the funeral home, the priest. It all had to be done now, before everyone else started calling. 

 

An entire town destroyed. In a war that Lance was fighting. How Lance must feel, not even able to protect his own parents - 

 

Veronica wanted to slap that white-haired princess across the face. How dare she bring sweet, bright Lance into her war? Return him in so many broken pieces, pieces that only some guapo hot-shot pilot seemed to know what to do with. Make him unrecognizable to his family, closed off, a tightly wound warrior. Just for the war to come here, to take more away from Veronica. 

 

“It didn’t work like that,” Lance had laughed when Veronica shared her anger. “It wasn’t Allura, it was the Blue Lion. It chose me. It decided that I had what it took. Besides, the Galra would find Earth eventually and...well, I’d rather protect the Earth as best I can.”

 

She was still angry. 

 

Veronica poured herself a healthy glass of scotch, a present she had given Marco for his birthday last year, and drank to try to take the edge off her anger. She let her thoughts come - worry. 

 

She worried about her children first, but they were happy playing outside. They’d probably have sunburns, but it was probably good for them. 

 

She worried about her brothers next. She always worried about her brothers. They wouldn’t make it without her. But she always worried about Lance the most.

 

Lance was the baby. Lance was...a surprise. When he was born, Mama always called him her gift. They didn’t think there would be any more children. Then Lance just sort of...happened. 

 

He was a handful as a baby. Always needed so much attention. Always crying. Veronica used to stand in the hallway with her face screwed up and her hands over her ears to block him out. Then he grew up into a scrawny devilish child who could pull the sweetest, most innocent smile in a heartbeat. He was always at the head of the pack, getting all his classmates into trouble. But you never really knew what he was thinking.

 

Veronica could tell when something bothered him. How he would get quiet when he thought no one was listening. And when you asked him what was wrong, he’d come up with some crazy story or joke or anything to get the focus away. As he got older, he trusted Veronica more and started opening up to her.

 

Like when he was thirteen and struggling with the fact that he found some of the boys in his class just as pretty as the girls. He didn’t seem to have an issue with that, per say, and didn’t seem to mind telling Veronica about it and giggling over movie stars with her. It turned out, what was bothering him, was Marco had said something ugly about it to him. Marco had no idea about his youngest brother’s sexuality and if she was being honest, Veronica didn’t even remember what he had said to Lance. 

 

What Veronica did remember was driving out to the community college, finding Marco in the parking lot, and punching him in the nose in front of a handful of his friends. 

 

Marco didn’t talk about anyone’s sexuality, especially not his brother’s, ever again. 

 

Like when he was working so hard to get into the Galaxy Garrison, just to be the best at something for once, only to find he had been placed as a cargo pilot. Runner up, again. 

 

Or when he was dating Bash, and not even realizing he was losing parts of himself. It had scared Veronica so much, and she couldn’t even say anything because it was something he had to learn on his own. Everyone had that one asshole ex, and you had to learn to see that they were an asshole by yourself. You couldn’t be told. 

 

And after Joel died, he got up every morning to help his mother take care of little Joel and Sandy before he went to school. And he would braid Veronica’s hair for her, so she didn’t look a wreck when she didn’t want to get out of bed. And they would do facials together, just so they could be together. He took her to one of Luis’ shows for the first time, insisting that she had to leave the house. That night was the night she decided to return to the land of the living. 

 

He must have been so lonely out in space. 

 

Was that how Keith seemed to be able to deal with him so well? Was it because they were friends? Because they shared so many traumatic events?

 

When Lance first came home, he was full of stories. Stories about wonderful worlds and brave deeds his friends had done. Epic battles and scary monsters. Even mermaids. But Keith Kogane seemed to be some elusive character - obviously important, but Lance didn’t seem to want to share. Veronica had wondered when Lance had disappeared for an afternoon, and her father had received reassurances that he was with a friend. He came back less agitated, more open. More able to share. Once in a while, he’d mention something in passing. 

 

Watching  _ The Emperor’s New Groove _ with the kids and saying, “Me and Keith did that once. Really! We were trying to go to a swimming pool and the elevator broke.” 

 

“And then that cabron loco Keith dive bombs his little fighter into this battleship, like it’ll solve anything - “

 

“Hm? Oh, Keith taught me to fight like that.”

 

But the stories kept coming. His friend Keith, his friend Kieth. Veronica and her mother snickered about Lance’s new boyfriend. She hadn’t meant for Sandy to overhear…

 

Then they had come home to find this pale white boy with purple irises and soft black hair in the house. Looking uncomfortable as hell, not having had signed up for any of it. But there, none the less. 

 

If Veronica had known he was  _ the _ Keith, she wouldn’t have flirted with him…

 

No, she would have. It was a nervous tick she and her brothers all shared. A knee jerk reaction. Well, maybe not Marco. Marco had never been quite as bad as the rest of them. 

 

Lance dragged him out of the house, probably to convince him to make his escape, and Mama had looked at Veronica and said, “Was that him?” 

 

Veronica hadn’t really known what to think of Keith, so she watched her brother instead. Watched the way he smiled when the other boy said his name. Watched them playfully tease each other, getting momentarily lost in their own world. It must drive their friends crazy when they do that. 

 

Christ, the way Lance looked at him. Joel used to look at her like that. 

 

But Veronica couldn’t get a read on this kid. At first, she was a little offended because he didn’t seem to return Lance’s feelings. How dare he! But then when they talked in the kitchen, the look on his face when he told her how brave her brother was. How much they relied on each other. His promise, to bring him back no matter what. 

 

Oh, Dios, Veronica groaned internally, the idiot’s in love and he doesn’t even know it. 

 

As soon as Keith left, Veronica cornered Lance in his room. 

 

_ “Spill.” she told her brother.  _

 

_ He eyed her warily. “About what?” _

 

_ “Keith.”  _

 

_ Lance flushed. “Nothing to spill about. Aside from he sleeps with a knife under his pillow like a total paranoid freak.” _

 

_ She rose an eyebrow. “And you know this how, exactly?”  _

 

_ “Because he’s my friend.” _

 

_ “You seem to look at him like a love-sick puppy a lot for someone who’s just a friend.” _

 

_ “I do not!”  _

 

_ “You’re lucky he’s so dense. He hasn’t noticed.”  _

 

_ Lance looked relieved. Veronica sat on the end of his bed.  _

 

_ “So, tell me everything.”  _

 

He didn’t know how it started. 

 

He just knew that one day, Keith Kogane was someone he barely knew at the Garrison and hated because he was so much  _ better _ at everything than Lance was and the next they were fighting an intergalactic war together. 

 

He had hated him. 

 

Slowly, they learned to trust each other. Then to loosely consider each other friends. Both these things were easy for Lance - he liked and trusted far too easily. Keith...Keith had a rough childhood that kept him closed off. Which of course pissed Lance off even more. And Keith was a raw nerve that Lance just had to poke because that was what they did in their family to show affection and Keith was just constant anger and it was confusing and frightening. 

 

They got through it. They learned to communicate. 

 

Lance told her how they learned to fight together. How when Keith took over the Black Lion, not even he was sure he could do it but Lance knew he could. How suddenly they were inseparable, and when Lance was lost in the depths of self-depreciation Keith was who he went to. 

 

And then Keith left. And Lance was more alone than he thought he was. And that was when he realized maybe he had gotten too close. The whole mess where he tried to displace those feeling on Allura. Keith’s return as someone older and cooler and more self assured, and Lance being such a damn mess he felt like could barely function around him. And all the feelings rushing back stronger than ever because how could he forget what a good listener Keith was? And how much he believed in Lance?

 

It didn’t hurt that he had grown a few inches, too.

 

_ “It doesn’t matter anyway.” Lance grumbled. “Not like it’ll ever happen.” _

 

_ Veronica rose an eyebrow. “You’re a bigger idiot than he is if you really think that.”  _

 

Veronica wished she could have been there for those steps. Watching little Lance fall in love. But she got some other pieces instead. 

 

Lance collapsing on her bed and wailing, “He had no idea I was bi, Vero. No wonder he’s never looked twice at me.”

 

The big shit eating grin he wore home, trying to hide a hickey on his collar bone from their mother, and then halfway through the day panicking and asking where the hell they should go for their first date. She told him to keep it simple, and hey, didn’t their cousin Maria used to sleep with that bouncer? 

 

The fierceness on his face after they had been mugged on that same date, when Lance told her and Mama what the thugs had called Keith. Veronica had a pretty good idea that they had both been called that word, but that didn’t matter to Lance. To Lance, no one was going to call Keith that. 

 

How happy they both seemed over the past month…

 

And now Lance was probably irreparably broken. Under all the bravado and good humor he took everything to heart. Too much like Luis. Too much of a fighter, like Marco. Too smart for his own good, like herself.

 

_ Little boy blue, the best of us all... _

 

If anyone’s going to be able to help him, it’s Keith, Veronica thought firmly. Besides, it’s only right that Keith is here with us. He had gotten close to Mama. They drank their coffee together every morning when he stayed at our place.

 

Finally, she heard the roar of the hoverbike outside. Veronica got up, suddenly remembering how much Mama hated those things. She wondered if she had ever harassed Keith about it.

 

Veronica ran outside as Lance and Keith slowly walked up to the door, and she quickly wrapped Lance in a tight hug. He shook in her arms, barely holding himself together. His arm stretched out behind him to hold Keith’s hand, keeping him tethered to this plane if existence. 

 

Keith looked at her with pure exhaustion, obviously he hadn’t slept last night. A delicate bruise had formed on his chin.

 

“Thank you.” she mouthed at him.

 

He nodded and tried to drop Lance’s hand, but the fingers curled tighter. He stayed.

 

“Come on.” Veronica said softly, looking at the shared duffle hanging off of Lance’s arm. “You’re sleeping in the sunroom. I figured you’d like to look at the stars.”

 

~*~

 

Allura had helped Keith cary Lance.

 

Keith was pretty sure he could have carried Lance himself, but he didn’t trust his arms at that moment. They knew Rubina and Carlos had been in that house, he could only pray that no one else had decided to stop by. And Rubina had always been so nice to him, especially lately. Treating him like another son, scolding him for that dangerous motorbike and asking how his day was. Insisting he take food home to his mother and Shiro.

 

And every time he looked at Lance, he felt his own heart being ripped open. Lance was crying oceans of tears, and Keith wanted more than anything to get back in the air and chase Sendak to the edges of the universe, kill every Galra soldier on that battleship himself. 

 

He wouldn’t stop there. He’d go after Haggar. He’d go back into the quintessence field, find Lotor, and destroy him again. He’d end the war himself, if it meant ending Lance’s pain. 

 

He couldn’t do that. Lance clung to him and he couldn’t leave him. So Keith and Allura lifted Lance up, holding him under the arms, and half dragged him along. The only sounds were the burning fires and Lance’s open, honest sobs. Keith was painfully reminded of a time when he had cried like that. 

 

They stuffed Lance in a back corner of the Black Lion. Pidge, looking like she was in shock at seeing Lance so undone, handed over Lance’s helmet. 

 

“We’re going to help with rescue efforts.” Allura said. “We’ll tow in the Red Lion later. Take him home.” 

 

Home. That was the wrong word. The home that Lance had so desperately pined for from space was utterly destroyed. Keith had no idea what to do as they all left, Pidge desperately throwing her arms around Lance before running away, looking like she might cry herself. 

 

He was numb as he flew back to Merritt Island - parking Black should be the first order of business. Somewhere in there, Lance ran out of the tears. When Keith looked back at him, he was curled up on the floor with his eyes open. Catatonic, non-verbal. It scared Keith more than the tears. 

 

When he dragged Lance from the robotic lion, Krolia was wordlessly waiting for them with a hovor-jeep. In a rare moment of affection, she wrapped her arms around Lance, supporting him as they walked to the car. He leaned into her embrace, past the fight he had given Keith and Hunk. 

 

It wasn’t until they safely shut him in the backseat that Krolia turned to Keith and looked him over. She gently ran a soft purple finger over the sore spot on Keith’s chin where Lance had punched him. It must already be bruising. 

 

“Are you okay?” she asked softly. 

 

He didn’t know how to answer. 

 

They took Lance home, answering an anxious call from Shiro. No, no one was physically hurt. No, they hadn’t reached out to Lance’s family. Keith hadn’t even thought of that. They didn’t even know...were they even still...the word alive hurt Keith’s throat. Shiro said he’d take care of it and hung up. 

 

Lance was still silent and staring. 

 

Krolia helped her son carry Lance up to his room, then left. Keith methodically started removing pieces of Lance’s armor, carefully unsnapping the buckles and removing the white and blue plates and utility belt. Deftly moving his limp body as he just watched. 

 

Keith had him down to his inky black flight suit when Krolia returned with two pills in her hand.

 

“A doctor prescribed these to Shiro to help him sleep.” Krolia explained. “I think it’s a good idea, just for tonight.”

 

Keith wasn’t sure if that was a great idea, but Lance immediately reached for the pills. The only sign of life since the sobbing stopped. Lance swallowed them dry, and Krolia retreated again. 

 

Keith released the seal on Lance’s flight suit and carefully stripped it off him, then gently placed him on the bed. Lance obediently lay down and watched Keith quickly remove his own armor and suit, then pull on an old ratty t-shirt to get into bed. The pills were working fast, Lance was already struggling to hold his eyes open while Keith held his face and pressed their foreheads together. The cosmic wolf curled up at their feet. 

 

“Keith.”

 

His voice was rough, from crying and smoke inhalation. Raw. 

 

“It’s alright.” Keith whispered, knowing it was anything but. “I’m right here.” 

 

Lance fell into a dead, drugged sleep that made him as still as a corpse. Keith had to check his pulse a few times just to be sure. Keith dozed off for a bit, then woke back up after a nightmare about his fight with Shiro, surrounded by clones that all looked like his dad…

 

Lance was still out. It was three in the morning. 

 

Keith got out of bed, adjusted the blankets over his boyfriend, and went downstairs. In the kitchen he poured himself a glass of water and chugged the whole thing, then got another one. He leaned on a counter.

 

All this time, knowing they were fighting for a reason. To protect the Earth, to keep the Galra away, telling themselves they had to go back for those very reasons. 

 

And now Lance’s parents had died because they couldn’t defend their own home ground…

 

Keith gritted his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut against the pain bubbling in his throat. What kind of leader was he, allowing this to happen? 

 

_ Casualties of war… _

 

There shouldn’t have been any casualties. None. They could have prepared better. Keith didn’t know how but there had to have been a way of preventing this. He should have had Pidge and Hunk focus on making defenses for the Earth first, instead of trusting their fighting skills and rushing the new ship. They should have built the defenses, and gone straight back to Olkari before the Galra could find this planet. 

 

And now his boyfriend was upstairs literally drugged out of his mind because Keith wasn’t the leader he should have been. 

 

“Keith?” 

 

Keith looked up to see Shiro in the doorway, looking dirty and tired. 

 

“I didn’t hear you come in.” Keith said, rubbing his face. 

 

“I just got back. How is he?” 

 

Keith shook his head. 

 

Shiro took two beers out of the fridge and gave one to Keith, pushing aside the water. Keith took a sip and stared at it. 

 

“I reached his sister. It’s a miracle, but everyone else is fine. She sounded shocked at first but...she said she would go to identify the bodies.” 

 

“She’s a pretty tough woman.” Keith said quietly, thinking about how this was not Veronica’s first devastating loss. 

 

“I gathered that. Is Lance asleep?” 

 

“We gave him some of your sleeping pills. I didn’t want to, but - “

 

“It’s probably for the best, for now. He’s got a tough road ahead. It’s good that he has you.” 

 

Keith felt his throat tighten. “It’s my fault.”

 

“Don’t say that.”

 

“I could have - “

 

“You could have what, Keith? None of us saw this coming. We thought we had covered our tracks. We thought we could stop the inevitable. We couldn’t. And yes, it’s truly awful how many people died. It’s horrible that Lance’s parents were in the crossfire. But we can’t change that now.” 

 

Keith hid his face in a hand, and Shiro wrapped an arm around his shoulders. 

 

“Lance is probably having the same thoughts as you, right now. Blame. Grief. I know you know what that feels like. You’re the only one who can help him through that.”

 

Keith took a deep, shaky breath. “Shiro, it’s like he’s not there. I know it just happened but he looks at me and there’s nothing. He’s not speaking, he’s not even crying anymore. He’s just so...not Lance and I don’t know - “

 

“It’s going to be hard. It’s going to be very hard, on both of you. But if anyone can pull him through, it’s you. Just remember how long it took you.” 

 

“I’m not you.” 

 

“No, but he would never respond to me. Remember when I told you that you two had a lot to teach each other? It’s been amazing to watch the two of you together, watch him give you something to fight for. Live for. You probably didn’t even realize what was happening. But now’s the time to return the favor.”

 

“You...oh my God, you think he’ll try to -”

 

“I don’t know what he’ll do, Keith. Hunk’s been his best friend for years and he couldn’t figure out that he had a crush on you. I think Lance is very good at hiding his thoughts. Better than anyone realizes.”

 

The warning rang in Keith’s ears. But Lance would never...he might want to run away a lot but the finality of death scared him. He had told Keith as much ages ago, when he had told him about his death.

 

_ “But it was...final moments. Not how I thought they’d be. If I’m being honest, I thought there’d be a lot more coke and strippers involved.” _

 

Lance could turn anything into a joke.

 

“Keith, I’m just saying...you know him best. He probably won’t. More likely he’ll be more reckless, more likely to get himself killed. But if, if, that moment comes, it’ll be up to you. Remind him of what he has.”

 

~*~

 

Lance got up and still wasn’t speaking the next morning. Keith convinced him to get dressed and come downstairs, where Shiro tried to force food and coffee into him. Keith hadn’t gotten any more sleep after finishing his beer in silence with Shiro the night before, and sat on the couch in his own comatose state. 

 

Veronica called, and when Keith made the mistake of assuming she wanted just Lance in Cuba, she screamed at him. Swearing in a slur of English and Spanish, calling him a deaf bastard. This was a very rude wake up call.

 

Keith explained what she wanted to Shiro and Krolia, and they moved around in a flurry of activity. Packing Keith’s clothes and anything Lance had left here, extra clothes of Keith’s for him. Pidge and Hunk showed up in the middle of that, and Hunk sat with his best friend and spoke in a low voice while Pidge scowled unhappily at Keith. 

 

“Pidge, he needs to be with his family.” Keith sighed. 

 

“I know but - “ 

 

“I’ll take good care of him, okay? And I’m sure you can visit whenever you want. But he needs them right now. He’s lucky enough to have them.” 

 

Pidge hung her head. “It’s just...scary. It’s not like him to be so quiet. And I don’t think he’d really want to go back there after...”

 

Shiro, who had overheard, approached. “Pidge, Keith knows what’s best for Lance right now. If he thinks they need to go to Cuba for a while, that’s what they have to do.”

 

Pidge gritted her teeth. “But why do they both have to go?”

 

Keith sighed. “Because, Pidge, I have to be with him. For as long as he’ll let me.” 

 

She didn’t like that.

 

“Besides, you’re more than welcome to call Vero back and argue with her.” 

 

Pidge looked like she had half a mind to do just that, and Keith turned away from her. Shiro could deal with that. Allura and Coran had arrived, sitting on either side of Lance on the couch. Lance had laconically tipped his head onto the royal advisor’s shoulder, listening to whatever story he was telling. 

 

Keith went back upstairs to finish packing.

 

Lance’s camera was sitting on the nightstand, and Keith felt a quick wave of relief. He hadn’t even realized it was here. He carefully packed it up, double checking that it was secured. Carlos had bought it for him, Keith remembered. It was a present for turning in all of his homework on time for a whole semester. Because Lance didn’t find his schoolwork hard enough, so he’d often not see the point in doing it. 

 

When he came back down with the large black duffle, Pidge looked like she had been crying. Keith pulled Lance off the couch and said goodbye to everyone, giving his mother a light kiss on the cheek when he saw the worry on her face. Pidge wrapped her arms tight around Lance’s middle, squeezing like she could put the life back in him. Hunk surprised Keith with a huge, silent bear hug, then moved on to Lance. 

 

Thank God that hoverbike was oversized, and it had once fit all five paladins. Shiro helped Keith strap in the huge blue wolf, then sandwich the duffle between the animal and Lance. When Keith got on the bike, Lance melted right into his back and probably closed his eyes. 

 

Keith drove slowly today. Careful. Taking twice the time he usually did. He prayed Lance kept his eyes shut for most of the trip because so much of the Cuban coastline was destroyed. Keith cursed himself for not taking a hover car. 

 

Marco’s house was on the other side of Varadero, far on the outskirts and practically on the beach. It was larger than his parent’s house, white with a red roof and some grass growing in sand. Keith parked behind Veronica’s car and unloaded his boyfriend, dog, and duffle bag. Still wordless, Lance took the bag and Keith’s hand as they walked towards the house. 

 

The front door burst open and Veronica ran down the steps, engulfing Lance in a huge hug. She looked like she had gotten about as much sleep as Keith, and her hair was wildly escaping her ponytail. Keith tried to release Lance’s hand as they hugged, but he just held on tighter. 

 

“Come on, you’re in the sunroom. I thought you’d like to look at the stars.”

 

~*~

 

That first night, Keith lay awake looking at the stars. Lance had fallen into an uneasy sleep, and Keith wished he could follow. He certainly was tired enough. The cosmic wolf had been worn out by playing with the kids all day, and was basically a fluffy blue rock at the bottom of the bed.

 

After settling Lance in on a chair, where he curled up and stared at dead space and scared the crap out of the kids, Keith started helping Veronica and Trinity get the house ready for the influx of family that would arrive tomorrow to pay their respects. 

 

Dinner was mostly silent. Only the kids managed to eat much. Luis had disappeared but no one said anything about it so Keith didn’t either. 

 

Keith got out of bed and wandered through the house. There were a lot of light on for how late it was, and when he looked out at the front porch he saw why. Veronica was sitting on the front step, thin blue-grey smoke curling around her. When Keith stepped outside, his nose was filled with the acrid-sweet scent of a cigarette.

 

“Oh, hey, Keith. Can’t sleep?” 

 

“No.” Keith said. 

 

“Me neither.” She scowled at the cigarette burning in her fingers. “Sorry about this. I quit a while ago but - “

 

“S’alright.” 

 

Keith sat sideways on the step so he could lean against the post and look at Veronica. 

 

“Waiting for Luis?” 

 

“Sort of. The bars close at two so I could be here for a while. Is Lance sleeping?” 

 

“For now. He still hasn’t said anything.” 

 

Veronica bit her lip. “I knew he’d take this hard. You know, before he started school, Mama took him to work with her all the time. It’s how he learned how to swim. They were always so close. Do you think he’ll be okay?” 

 

Keith didn’t answer. He didn’t know. Instead he said, “Vero, I...I’m so sorry. I know it’s not anywhere near what you’re feeling but...they were wonderful people.” 

 

She tilted her head, curious.

 

Keith took a deep breath. “I lost my parents when I was young.” 

 

“I know. Lance told me.” 

 

“It’s not something that...it’s not easy to get over. It changes you. And I don’t know if Lance will be okay.” 

 

Veronica was quiet for a moment, then she said, “Well, it’s a good thing we have each other, right? To remind each other of who we are.”

 

Keith thought about that. 

 

“I don’t know much about you, Keith. I only know what Lance has told me. But I know that you would never leave him behind.”

 

“Keith.” 

 

Keith and Veronica both turned to see Lance standing in the door of the house in his boxers, rubbing his eyes. Keith realized that he must have woken up when he left. 

 

“Sorry.” Keith said, immediately guilty. “Just needed some air.” 

 

Lance walked towards them and carefully stepped over Keith’s legs, then sat on the step below the porch and leaned into Keith, resting his head on his stomach. Automatically, Keith ran his fingers through his hair. 

 

Veronica gave Keith a sad smile and looked back out at the road. 

 

~*~

 

The next week passed in a blur. The house was filled with people - cousins and aunts and uncles and friends. A million people hugging and prying and trying to force feed everyone they saw. Sobbing about Rubina and Carlos. Telling stories about them. 

 

Keith was kind of picking up Spanish, seeing as everyone was constantly speaking it. Except Lance, who still wasn’t really talking. Keith found himself alternating between Lance’s side and carrying around little Rosa like a shield. Rosa didn’t mind - she could tie knots in Keith’s hair that way. 

 

Lance still wasn’t really Lance, and it was scary. He wasn’t speaking unless he had to. His eyes seemed almost dead. What was really unnerving was how he barely touched Keith anymore. Didn’t reach for his hand, didn’t ruffle his hair as he passed. Gone were the cheeky stolen kisses and shamelessly bold hands. Keith never thought he’d be so starved for someone’s touch.

 

Instead, at night, Lance would wrap his arms around him and hold him so tight that at first Keith thought he was trying to break his spine. 

 

Keith was having old nightmares again, ones about his father. Probably dug up by everything Lance was going through. He hadn’t thought about these in years.

 

One night, Keith woke up gasping. He could still see flames on the corners of his vision. He jumped when he felt a hand on his back. 

 

“You alright?” 

 

Keith turned and looked down at Lance. His face was full of concern, his blue eyes wide. 

 

“Yeah. Just a bad dream.” 

 

“Come here.” 

 

Keith looked at him uncertainly, then allowed himself to be pulled back down. Lance pushed their foreheads together and knotted their fingers. The bags under his eyes were basically bruises now. 

 

“I’m sorry.” Lance whispered. 

 

“Don’t be stupid.” 

 

“Okay.” 

 

Keith wanted to kiss him, reassure him that this was all fine. That god, it had all barely happened a week ago and he was allowed to be upset. That they would get through this, together, because they felt too strongly about each other to not and maybe Keith was a little bit in love.

 

But he took too long and Lance closed his eyes again. 

 

~*~

 

Then one night, Keith woke up and Lance wasn’t there. 

 

The whole house was dark, but Keith silently snuck through and checked anyway. All the cars were still there. It wasn’t until he went back into the sunroom that he saw the back door was open. He could hear powerful waves crashing on the shore from here. 

 

Lance loved the ocean. He learnt that from his mother. 

 

Keith panicked. Shiro’s warnings rang in his ears as he sprinted out of the house and to the beach. Strong winds were blowing and though the sky above him was clear and starry he could see menacing clouds over the ocean horizon. 

 

And out past where the waves broke, a dark object bobbed along. 

 

No. He wouldn’t. Not like this. 

 

He’s scared. He’s so scared. He stripped off his shirt and ran straight into the waves, chasing that dark head. 

 

He has to save him. He can’t let him do this. 

 

The undertow is strong, and Keith isn’t a fantastic swimmer. Before he even realizes what’s happening, he’s pulled under the surface and flipped over and over. He has no idea which way the surface is and everything is so dark. He’s being pulled out into the black water as his lungs burn. 

 

Usually Lance was the dramatic one. And here Keith was, naruto-running to his death to save his boyfriend.  

 

Strong arms grip him around his middle, pulling him in a direction that he’s sure is wrong, and he fights for a moment before his head breaks the surface. He gasped for the air, choking as he gulps down a good bit of seawater. He kicks for a moment before realizing the sandy bottom is right there, and Lance is pulling him to his feet. His face is somewhere between anger and terror, so far from the zombie he was when they went to bed.

 

“What the fuck are you doing?” Lance screamed at him. “You can’t swim you stupid asshole!”

 

“Saving you!” Keith choked out. 

 

Lance dragged him up onto the beach and they both dropped into the sand. Lance still looked furious and Keith tried to swallow but his throat was dry from seawater. 

 

“I woke up and you were gone.” Keith said. “And I thought I saw you in the water, and - “

 

“It’s a fucking log, Keith.”

 

Keith looked out and now that Lance was definitely sitting beside him, it was definitely log-shaped. 

 

“I was sitting over there, jackass. And then I see you running straight into the water, right into the undertow. Do you know how stupid you are? There’s been three shark attacks this month, let alone the fact that you can’t fucking swim!”

 

“I didn’t - I thought - I panicked okay!”

 

“About what?”

 

“I thought I was going to lose you!” 

 

Lance’s face dropped. “I’m sorry I just...it makes me feel close to her.” 

 

“I know.” 

 

Lance turned and buried his face in Keith’s shoulder. Tears finally started pouring again, these ones quiet and pure sadness. Keith felt an odd sense of relief as he wrapped his arms around him. Finally, he could feel again. 

 

“I’m sorry.” 

 

“Don’t be.” 

 

“I know I’ve scared you but I can’t...there’s so many of them! Family! And they all want to talk about it and I can’t and every time I see my mom’s nose or my dad’s eyes I just want to cry and it’s not fair to you and I just can’t - “

 

Keith slowly rocked him, shushing him as they moved. 

 

“Do you want to leave?” Keith finally asked when Lance quieted down. “Go back to Florida? If you told her, Veronica would understand.” 

 

Lance shook his head. 

 

Keith hesitated. “Lance...I know you’re not in a place where you can say this but you need to hear it. I love you. That’s it. I’m not going to let this destroy you, okay? We’ll get through it, together. You can take as long as you need to.” 

 

Lance nodded, keeping his head in his shoulder. Waves crashed on the shore. When Lance spoke again, his voice had a harder edge to it. 

 

“And then we’re going back to Voltron.” 

 

“If that’s what you want.” Keith said softly. 

 

“It is. I can’t...I’ve hurt them enough.” 

 

“You haven’t hurt them at all.” 

 

They sat on the beach in silence, holding each other, for another hour before Keith decided it was time to go back to bed. He pulled Lance up and back to the house, using a towel they found outside to try to brush the sand off. But as they fell back into bed, more sand dropped into the sheets anyway. 

 

For the first time in awhile, Lance turned over and pressed a gentile kiss to the corner of Keith’s mouth.

 

~*~

 

_**And it is no big surprise you turned out this way,** _

_**The spark in your eyes, the look on your face -** _ _**I will not be brave.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you everyone for the love and support. I know I'm crap at replying to comments but I really do appreciate them all. 
> 
> I've been writing fanfictions on various sites and in various fandoms for, wow, close to ten years now. I like the medium because it supplies a backstory and I am free to practice my character and plot building, and play around with different voices and styles. And I have to say, no one has been as welcoming and supportive to someone new as you all have been. I know I don't know EVERYTHING cannon and I do get things wrong and I don't speak Spanish but everyone has been very accepting and I am so grateful. Especially when I walked in with this story idea after reading some absolutely phenomenal fics and thinking I could never be that good. But I am proud of the work I've done on this, and luckily once I got started it all just seemed to write itself. 
> 
> I'm thinking there will probably be two more chapters. One full length and then a long epilogue. So, we're almost there. Just hold on a little longer. I'll finish it up just in time for us all to have our hearts broken by season seven. 
> 
> The next chapter will start with Shiro's perspective, to kind of mirror what I did with Veronica.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance gets better, and everyone goes home.

Keith’s bruise was finally turning green and starting to disappear. Shiro noticed when he visited Lance’s family. He and the rest of Team Voltron had gone to the funeral service for Rubina and Carlos McClain, but otherwise stayed away until the extended family left. But as soon as Keith gave him the all-clear, he headed straight down. 

 

He was worried. 

 

At the funeral, Keith had looked exhausted and close to the end of his rope. It was a lot for him, constantly surrounded by new people, watching his boyfriend fall apart. Thrown into the middle of some of his own worst memories. Lance had pulled Shiro aside to tell him that Keith was having nightmares about his father’s death. 

 

Shiro wasn’t that surprised that in the middle of his visit, Keith and Lance started screaming at each other in the other room. 

 

He had been sitting in the kitchen with Marco and Veronica when their argument started as just raised voices. It seemed like Lance wanted to go back to Florida and Keith wasn’t going to let him. Soon it devolved into a shouting match. 

 

Veronica got up to go and break them up, but Marco grabbed her wrist to stop her. He silently shook his head. 

 

Everyone always said that Lance and Keith fought constantly, but that wasn’t really true. Even in the beginning, they didn’t fight. They bickered. They disagreed. They got under each other’s skin. Sometimes one, usually Lance, would cross the line, but it only ever resulted in sulking. Shiro couldn’t recall a time where they had a serious, honest to God fight, even as friends. 

 

“YOU SAID WE WOULD GO BACK!”

 

“I meant when you were ready. When the ship is ready! Not now!” 

 

“I am!”

 

“No you’re not! You shouldn’t be anywhere near Voltron right now!” 

 

“I’ve never heard Lance sound like that.” Veronica whispered. 

 

Shiro grimaced, hearing in his own brother’s voice how close he was to breaking. And how likely it was that Lance would push him to that point before this was over. 

 

“They need to have this talk.” Shiro muttered. 

 

“Why not?” Lance was snarling. “Because you say so?” 

 

“Because I’ve been in your shoes, Lance. I know what this can do to a person! And I can’t have you endangering the team like that.”

 

The voices got quieter. Marco sighed and stood. “I have to get to the shop so Trinity can get the kids.” 

 

He left and Veronica poured Shiro another drink. “You don’t seem phased by any of this.” 

 

Shiro sighed. “I don’t think it’s over yet.” 

 

Suddenly Keith was yelling again, his voice broken open and raw. 

 

“Don’t you understand how FUCKING LUCKY you are? Yeah, this sucks. But at least you still have the rest of them! At least your sister loves you enough to put up with all your fucking bullshit! Can’t you see that she’s hurting just as much as you? Haven’t you fucking noticed that Luis has been drinking himself to liver failure?” 

 

“If we go back - “

 

“Then what, Lance? You wanna try to tell me you’ll still see them? You wanna try to tell me you won’t find excuse after excuse to stay away and not be reminded? Yeah, Lance, you’re a war hero, but when it comes to this stuff you’re a fucking coward.” 

 

Veronica gasped. 

 

“Because this time, when we leave and go back to the fight, we both know we’re not coming back. We’re either going to die out there, or end up being retired. Is that what you really want? You want Vero to have to tell Joel his fucking hero is dead and the last time he saw him he could barely have a conversation with him?”

 

“So what? We’re just going to stay here, with you having nightmares and avoiding your responsibilities as a leader - “ 

 

“THIS IS ABOUT YOU!”

 

“I’M SORRY - I WAS UNDER THE IMPRESSION YOU WERE PROJECTING!” 

 

A door slammed and Lance let out a frustrated yell. Keith must have gotten fed up and left. Vero swirled her drink. 

 

“Well, at least he’s speaking again.” Veronica muttered. 

 

“One time Keith asked me if we could muzzle him. Bet he’d never thought he’d actually want him to talk.”

 

Veronica smiled slightly and leaned on her hand. Shiro watched her warily at first, but then realized she was being friendly, not flirty. 

 

“Must have been great, watching them fall in love.” 

 

“I unfortunately missed a lot of it. Being trapped in the Black Lion, it...I could see some things. Then Keith left and I saw a lot less. I remember Lance being lonely, though.”

 

“Did Keith know?” 

 

“He does now. For a long time Keith didn’t understand what his absence could mean for other people. And he’s promised not to leave your brother, even if he suffers for it.” 

 

“Which Lance can’t stand.” Veronica smiled slightly. “Who the hell thought it was a good idea for them to be together in the first place, huh?” 

 

“I’m not sure we could have stopped them if we wanted to.”

 

“They’re good together, though. They balance each other.” 

 

“Yes, that’s what I always told them.”

 

Lance entered the room, looking exhausted and guilty. 

 

“I’m guessing you heard all of that?” he asked. 

 

Veronica snorted. “I’m pretty sure there’s an abuela in Havana who forgot to put her hearing aids in who heard Keith just now.” 

 

Lance winced. “Sorry. I just...he - “

 

“Where is Keith now?” Shiro asked.

 

Lance collapsed into a chair at the table. “I don’t know. Probably trying to destroy the bag Marco has hanging in the shed.” 

 

Veronica stood and kissed her brother on the top of the head. “I have to get the twins but we’ll talk when I get back.” 

 

“Hmm.” 

 

“I mean it, Lance.” 

 

Lance grimaced. Veronica left and Lance slumped in his chair and closed his eyes, looking exhausted. Shiro studied him, feeling as if he had overheard something far more intimate than their first night together. 

 

“I’m sorry, Shiro.” Lance finally said, looking at the older man. “He’s your brother. You didn’t need to hear that.” 

 

“It’s alright. You’re both under a lot of stress. It was bound to happen.” 

 

Lance gritted his teeth. “Which is why we have to leave. He’s taking all of this just as hard as I am.” 

 

Shiro found himself remembering something his grandmother had told him after a fight with a partner in a different lifetime.  _ Falling in love doesn’t make anything easier, Takashi. It just makes the bad things worth it. _

 

“Lance he’s just...worried. That’s all. He wants you to heal properly.”

 

“For Voltron.”

 

“Maybe. But more for yourselves. Honestly, I think he’s right to want to stay here. Your family needs you, Lance. And you need to...be with them before we have to leave. I know that Keith believes, deep down, that you’ll come back but we don’t know how long that will be.” 

 

Lance was avoiding his gaze, so Shiro took another gamble. 

 

“I don’t think it’s a bad idea for Keith to stay here either. I think he needs some rest. The only times he hasn’t been working the past few months have been when he’s spent time with you.” 

 

Lance frowned, and Shiro gave himself the victory. If there was one guaranteed way to make Lance do something for himself, it was to make it about someone else. It was a trick Hunk had confided in him, and had been confirmed by observations over the time he had known him. 

 

Shiro couldn’t help but to be proud of him, how far he’d come from when they first met. 

 

There were footsteps, and Lance looked up hopefully as Keith appeared in the doorway. “Lance, I - “

 

Lance was already up and out of his seat, throwing his arms around him. “Sorry, I’m sorry, I didn’t mean any of it, I - “ 

 

Keith quickly recovered from his shock and put his arms around his waist. “Yeah. Me neither.” 

 

“If you ever call me a coward again, I’m pushing you off a cliff.” 

 

“Noted.” 

 

Shiro met Keith’s eyes and smiled slightly. Keith smiled back, still not releasing his boyfriend. 

 

They’ll be alright. 

 

~*~

 

With the house now comparatively empty and their explosive fight about the next move out of the way, Keith and Lance tried to settle into normal life. And Keith watched his boyfriend slowly come back to life. 

 

It was hard at first. With the prying family members gone, and the raw honesty that night on the beach followed by the fight, Lance had dropped the zombie facade. Instead he was just...sad. Disinterested. At first, he left his camera at the bottom of the duffle he and Keith used as their closet. He wasn’t working out, he was barely eating. He and Keith most certainly were not having sex, not that Keith minded.

 

Okay, he minded. But realistically, he had been through a three year dry spell. He could wait until Lance was ready for intimacy again. 

 

Veronica was now twice as busy as before. The reading of her parent’s will had revealed that they left her their house. The house was, of course, destroyed, but the land was still there. Her grief-fueled practicality had her hiring an architect the next day to design a new place for her and her children. The brothers had each been left an equal share of the small sum Rubina and Carlos had spent their lives compiling. 

 

Lance immediately gave all his inheritance to Veronica. It wasn’t like he could use it in space anyway. 

 

When his siblings returned to work, Lance immediately stepped into the roll of nanny. Keith suspected that some of the things he had screamed during their fight, most of which he was deeply ashamed of, had stuck. 

 

So Lance would take Luis to his afternoon preschool and keep David and Rosa busy. Marco would usually bring Sandy and Joel home from school when he picked Luis up, and Lance would help the twins with homework while the others napped. 

 

Meanwhile, Keith kept himself busy with work. He had taken on some of Lance’s PR work, and was giving training directives through Matt, who had taken over the program. And Pidge seemed to want his and Lance’s opinions on everything before she did it. Then there were all the million other things that needed his attention from Allura, from Generals. Trinity granted him the use of the secretary desk in the living room, and most mornings after his run and a shower he could be found there with a rapidly cooling mug of coffee. 

 

One of the first signs of Lance coming back to him was when he came by and trailed his fingers across his back, making Keith tense in shock. Lance silently put a fresh coffee in front of him, then took the old one away. 

 

They had plenty of visitors, too. Krolia and Shiro came often, at least twice a week. Hunk came whenever he could, though he admitted to Keith that after what happened to Lance he was spending a lot more time with his own family. He usually came with baked treats that gave the kids sugar highs and made Lance complain to Keith but never once to Hunk. Allura visited a few times, but Veronica always treated her a little frostily and the princess decided maybe she should call to check up on her paladins. Coran visited maybe once a week, delighting the kids with his mustache and wild stories and overall goofy demeanor. 

 

No one beat Pidge. She showed up every other day, without fail. Usually she just sat in the same room as Keith and did her own work, but sometimes she and Lance played video games together. 

 

Keith had been running on the beach every morning. Usually the sounds of the house getting ready for school and work woke him, and he’d get up and run down the sandy expanse. He’d go all the way to the beginning of the strip of resorts, go inland, and run back to the house by the street. He did this alone. When he woke up, usually Lance was up too. He would offer for him to come with, but Lance would shake his head and watch him get ready. 

 

One morning, Keith went into the front hall to find his sneakers, and came back to find Lance in his own workout clothes and tying up his sneakers. He didn’t say anything to Keith as they headed out the sunroom door, jogging together down to the beach. 

 

“I’ll take it easy on you.” Keith said as they turned along the shore and picked up the pace.

 

“Don’t you dare.” 

 

After that, Lance was up and running with Keith every morning. Soon after that, they were sparring in the evenings again. Slipping away when everyone else was busy - Lance was adamant that they didn’t have an audience. Even after a whole summer he wasn’t comfortable with his family seeing what he had become. 

 

Keith would never forget the first time he saw his boyfriend smile again. 

 

Keith had gone from unconsciously understanding the Spanish Lance’s family used to actively trying to speak it. Especially because Luis would often come home trashed and unable to understand English. Marco was a surprisingly good teacher, as he had taught his wife years before when they started dating. Most of the practice Keith had was with the kids, to mixed results. 

 

Keith couldn’t even remember what he had been trying to ask. Something about shoelaces. He had obviously screwed it up, given how hard they were all laughing at him, but he didn’t know how and it was incredibly frustrating. 

 

“That’s not how you say it, Keith!” Sandy giggled at him.

 

“Your grammar is horrible.” 

 

Keith turned around, ready to scowl at Lance, but was completely disarmed by the small smile he was graced with. It didn’t quite reach his eyes, but it was a start.

 

It was all a start. 

 

“It’s not my fault your language makes no sense.” 

 

“It’s really a lot simpler than you think it is. Here, I’ll show you.” 

 

Lance found a paper and a pen and started drawing sentence diagrams. It honestly confused Keith even more but he didn’t care because Lance was slowly coming back to life. Sounding hopelessly like Pidge as he went through what was probably second grade language structure. A little smug at the fact that Keith was actually making an effort to learn. 

 

“What?” Lance asked, finally seeing the look on Keith’s face. 

 

Keith leaned over and pressed a gentile kiss to his lips. Sandy immediately screeched and Joel shouted, “Gross!” 

 

Keith pulled away and Lance snapped at the kids that their cousins were sleeping. 

 

“Kissing’s gross.” Joel argued. 

 

Lance sighed and rubbed his forehead. “Joelito, one day, you’re going to kiss someone and deeply regret this conversation.”

 

It wasn’t all progress. 

 

They had bad days. 

 

Days where Lance lapsed back into silence or went and hid on the beach for a few hours. 

 

Days where Marco said the wrong thing that would make Vero burst into tears and Lance defensive and angry. 

 

Days were Luis came home, now having moved onto harder drugs, wired and making wild crazy music that hurt the kids’ ears. 

 

Days where Sandy would curl up in Lance’s lap and say, “Tio, I miss abuela.” 

 

Days when Lance went off to a secluded area for target practice and utterly destroyed whatever he aimed at with his bayard. All the nanotech in the world wouldn’t have been able to stitch it back together. 

 

Days that were made worse by sleepless nights and growing concerns about being away from the fight for so long.

 

But then came the day when Lance had picked up his camera again. Keith woke up to find Lance already dressed and the camera raised to his face, as if he had been waiting for this exact moment. 

 

“Smile.” 

 

And Keith, being the jackass he was, lifted his pillow and threw it at him. But Lance just laughed at him and snapped a few pictures anyway. 

 

There was so much work to be done. The construction was coming along smoothly and the pace of the project was rapidly accelerating as more and more pieces clicked into place. The new ship would be slightly smaller and sleeker than the old one, more battle ready than its diplomacy-driven predecessor. 

 

It would be a home to more beings, too. At least temporarily. Not only did they have to bring back all the rebels they had arrived with, but they also had to bring a small contingent of scientists and cultural ambassadors as well as over half of the Elites that Keith and Lance had trained. The Elites were all volunteers, swearing themselves over to the Voltron Alliance. Keith had a feeling that the attack on Earth made things very, extremely real for a lot of them. Not to mention Pidge’s parents, who decided after the treatment of Dr Holt they were better used on Olkari. At least there they’d be within real time com-range of their children. 

 

The human race was going to make its big debut. 

 

This meant more rooms had to be furnished. Self-stable food had to be stockpiled - Pidge had pretended to forget to redesign the goo-dispensers. So far only Allura and Coran had raised concerns. Not even Shiro could manage a half-hearted reprimand. At the end of a solid year eating the stuff, Lance had developed an aversion to foods with a similar consistency and had gagged on the chocolate pudding Trinity served for dessert the other night. 

 

“It will be good, I think.” Allura had told Keith in a call as he paced the backyard. “I’m sure you noticed the original Castleship was built for far more than just the seven of us. I think having more people aboard, even just for a bit, will make it feel more like home.”

 

“Did you have any requests for your room?” Shiro asked. “Lance gave Pidge a whole list, but you haven’t said anything.”

 

Keith groaned. “Do I want to know what’s on that list?”

 

“No, and most of it you won’t have to. A lot of it is just Lance trying to be funny and piss off Pidge. Although I am told you will have the first Korean-bath house pool in space.” 

 

“Great.” 

 

No one even asked if Keith and Lance wanted to live together once the ship was completed. It was just treated like a given. Keith knew that the whole relationship was moving extremely fast, a rational side of his brain still kicking him for telling Lance he loved him a month in. But Keith had been reminded of his own mortality far too many times since Lance knocked on a particle barrier in Arizona and dragged him along for a wild ride. If there wasn’t a lot of time, he didn’t want to waste it anymore. 

 

Besides, they had survived against the odds together for this long. They should be able to figure out cohabitation. Even if Lance still hadn’t responded to Keith’s confession on the beach.

 

Keith found himself looking towards the back of the house at the glass sunroom that had become his and Lance’s temporary home. Trinity had offered to move them into David’s room and keep all the kids together, but they had declined. In the sunroom, when one woke up in a cold sweat and woke the other, they could hold each other and look at the stars. Holding whispered conversations about nothing. 

 

_ Home is always where you’re not _ , something whispered inside Keith when he looked out at the distant suns.

 

“A big window.” Keith finally said. “I want to look at the stars.”

 

“Keef!” 

 

Keith turned around to see Lance had the whole gang gathered up. He had wanted to take the kids to the tide pools nearby, and insisted that Keith had to come. It had been a while since Lance had planned little adventures like this. 

 

“I have to go.” Keith sighed. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.” 

 

“Bye, Keith.”

 

Keith pocketed the device and walked towards the group. Rosa instantly stretched her arms up to him, a silent begged to be carried. Keith instantly lifted her, resting the small girl on his hip. A tiny fist immediately curled around his hair. 

 

Keith knew it was unfair to pick favorites, but he was going to miss her the most. Especially since she finally opened up to him since he was around more often, and was rewarded with babbling and giggles. 

 

Besides, the fact that she was so young meant Keith could play little games with her to practice his Spanish vocabulary and she found it entertaining. 

 

So they walked down the beach behind the others, Keith asking her questions like, “Te gustan...las manzanas?”

 

“No!”

 

“No? Por que?”

 

“Los dientes.”

 

“Ah, son muy duros. Bueno, te gustan...el chocolate?”

 

“Si!”

 

Keith looked up to see Lance watching them with a huge, sappy smile on his face. Sandy pulled him away before Keith could ask him what the hell that look was for.

 

~*~

 

“You’ll make a good dad someday.” 

 

Keith choked and sputtered on the water he was sipping as he sat drinking from a glass in bed. They had enjoyed their time at the tide pools, finding a whole manner of species in the briney puddles. The kids shrieking in delight as tiny aggressive crabs waves claws at them. 

 

His stupid ridiculous boyfriend was sprawled out on the bed next to him, completely relaxed.

 

“What?” Keith asked.

 

“I mean it. Remember when you were terrified of kids?” 

 

Keith remembered that first day in Cuba when Rosa was unceremoniously shoved into his arms. Keith never thought he’d be a kids person. He still wasn’t. Rosa was the exception, not the rule. While the others tolerated him and engaged with him they always seemed a little afraid of him. 

 

Keith sighed and put down his glass, then stretched out on the bed. “I still am.” 

 

“They like you. They like how hard you try with Spanish.” 

 

“They laugh at me constantly.” 

 

“Haven’t you learned anything, Kogane? It’s because you’re family. I wouldn’t be surprised if they started calling you Tio Keef before we left.” 

 

Keith shook his head. “You’re ridiculous.” 

 

Lance leaned over and caught him in a sweet kiss. Keith reached up to cup his face, holding him for as long as Lance could bear it. 

 

A while, it turned out, because Lance was gently biting his lip to ask for entrance. When he did pull away, it was to kiss his neck instead. The dark hands regained some of their old curiosity, clumsily running over Keith’s chest. One hand ran down to slip under the elastic of Keith’s boxers, gaining strength and confidence as it encircled Keith’s erection. 

 

“Lance.” Keith said warily. 

 

“Hmm?”

 

“You don’t have to.” 

 

That made Lance pull away slightly. He was frowning, confused and maybe a little hurt. “But I want to.” 

 

“I - uhhh.” Keith nearly melted as Lance started to slowly stroke him. It had been far too long. And quite frankly Keith was beginning to question if he’d really ever had sex before Lance. No one else seemed to understand his anatomy so perfectly. “Lance. We’re in a glass room.” Keith choked. “Someone will see us.”

 

“Everyone’s in bed.” 

 

“Not everyone is as shameless as you.” 

 

“But the most beautiful man in the galaxy is in my bed and I’ve been neglecting him.” Lance practically purred in his ear. 

 

Christ, someone would have to explain to his mother that the Galra didn’t have the chance to kill him because Lance already had. But Keith pulled him close anyway, because once he had something he never let it go. Not unless Lance walked away first. 

 

~*~

 

It was nearly the end of October when it was time to leave. Everything was packed away, stored. Rooms filled with snacks and coffee and spices. Lance had hidden away a stockpile of booze as well, with the help of Coran. Just about every film, album and book ever published had been downloaded. The closets actually held changes of clothes now. The Lions had been taken to their new hangers, resistance shuttles parked alongside the new X-Wings. Resistance fighters had already taken up residence on the new ship, as had some of the Elites. 

 

Lance had been in the center of all of that. Throwing himself into stockpiling as much Earth into the ship as he could in the vain hope of making the situation more bearable than it had been the last time around. 

 

All they had to do now was say goodbye.

 

Again, it would be a long trip back. Earth lacked the materials for a teledove, so they would have to go back to Olkari to really finish the ship. At least this time there would be space to spread out. And the trip would be faster because they didn’t have to stop to stretch their legs and refuel. 

 

They left on Keith’s birthday. He couldn’t help but find it ironic that they arrived on Lance’s birthday and now they were leaving on his. 

 

Veronica had driven them up to Merritt Island, where they would catch a cargo flight up to the new ship. They said goodbye to everyone else earlier, Lance taking all of it in stride. Keith had expected tears, but they never came. He hugged his brothers and sister in law tightly, soothed the kids. He only was visibly upset when he realized Luis was already drunk at eleven in the morning…

 

“I want to go!” Joel pouted. “Why does Tio get to?” 

 

“Tio has an important job to do.” Veronica told her son softly. 

 

“Yeah, I have to make it safe so that you can visit one day.” Lance smiled, brushing hair out of the seven year old’s face. “You can visit me and Keef, and we’ll go to the space mall, and we can go to Ha’yeshi, which is a planet filled with waterfalls.”

 

“Really?”

 

“Really. But not till you’re older, eso?”

 

Marco chose this moment to hand Keith two bottles. One was the regular cheap rum he usually drank after the kids were in bed. The other was a very nice bottle of scotch. 

 

“The one’s for bad nights, the other is for a celebration.” Marco explained. “I know Lance already packed a lot, but I wanted you to have one decent bottle for yourself.”

 

“Thanks, Marco. For everything.” 

 

Marco smiled. “Anything for my brother’s corazon.” 

 

A recent nickname for Keith. He had lost count of how many he had at this point, seeing as the list now also included “jackass” and “asshole” in an endearing tone. 

 

In the hovercar, they all got quieter as they approached their destination. Lance and Veronica wore the same carefully crafted expression to hide whatever they were feeling from each other. Guards waved them through as soon as they saw Keith and Lance, all the way to the cargo shuttle. 

 

They all got out of the car, Keith taking the duffle bag out of the backseat with him. The rest of their belongings, not that either of them had much, had already been moved to their new room on the ship. Not far away, Reid was saying goodbye to his own family.

 

Reid had been the first to sign up to go into deep space. Keith knew he had volunteered for the training program mainly to better his fighting skills and maybe rub shoulders with the great Shirogane Takashi. That pride kept him in the program, and the drive to prove he could do better than Lance even if he grew to have a grudging respect for Keith. Pride that kept making him pick himself up off the floor every time the eighteen year old kid from Cuba laid him out or beat him in target practice. 

 

His sister had died in the attack. She had been a trauma surgeon, Keith learned afterwards, and she was on shift when a Galra fighter recognized the hospital she worked at for what it was an reduced it to a pile of ashes. 

 

Keith found himself wrapped in a tight hug from Veronica. “Remember your promise.” she muttered in his ear. 

 

“I’ll take care of him.” he affirmed. 

 

“Bye guapo. Make sure to call.” 

 

“Sure.” 

 

Veronica released him and turned towards her beloved little brother. Keith headed towards the shuttle to give them some space, but he stayed close enough to listen to what was said. 

 

“I don’t suppose I can convince you to stay?” Veronica asked, her voice strained. 

 

Lance gave a dry laugh. “No, I think it’s a bit late for that. I mean, all my skin care stuff is already up there.” 

 

Veronica smiled softly, then sighed. She pulled a purple felt bag out of her purse. “Here. Mama wanted you to have these.” 

 

Lance gingerly took the bag, but when he started to open it, Veronica put a hand over his. “Not here! Later! She bought them after...well, I’ll tell you about it later, okay?”

 

“Okay?” 

 

Veronica sighed and hugged him tightly. “Take care of yourself.” 

 

“I will.” 

 

“And take care of Keith.” 

 

“Yes.”

 

“And that little Pidge girl you adopted.” 

 

“She doesn’t need it.”

 

“Obviously, she does, or she wouldn’t be soaking up Marco’s air conditioning every other day.” 

 

Lance stayed quiet and his sister released him. 

 

“Hey, we’re proud of you, chanchito. Never forget that. I’ll see you when you come back home, eso?” 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

She hugged him again, but released him quickly this time, backing away before she tried to take him back to Cuba. 

 

“Call.” She reminded both the paladins, before getting in her hover car and driving off before either of them could see her tears.  

 

Lance was visibly shaken as he turned and walked up the loading ramp towards Keith. He pushed the felt bag into the pocket of his hoodie and they found seats along the wall. Lance sighed and let his head tip onto Keith’s shoulder, his hand snaking down to tangle their fingers together. 

 

“Hey, babe?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Happy birthday.” 

 

“Thanks.” Keith paused for a moment. “I have something for you.” 

 

“What?” 

 

Keith leaned down to their feet and opened the duffle, pulling out a plastic portfolio. “Well, you gave me a present on your birthday, so I made you one.” 

 

Lance took the folder and opened it, and just stared in shock. Keith had privately asked each of his siblings to sit so he could draw their portrait. Marco sitting at the kitchen table with a glass of rum, Veronica leaning on the porch railing with a smile, Luis sitting at his keyboard.

 

“Wow. Keith, these are incredible.” 

 

“Thanks.”

 

“No, really. I had no idea you were so good. Thank you.” 

 

“Yeah.” 

 

Lance leaned forward and kissed him, then whispered, “Te amo.” 

 

Keith froze, almost not wanting to believe. He had stated it so simply, like it was common knowledge. Like there was no way Keith couldn’t know. Even now, he was settling back in his seat, looking at the portraits again. 

 

“Yeah.” Keith finally breathed. “Me, too.” 

 

Lance smiled slightly. 

 

“Hey, you never told me how you ended up with my jacket.” 

 

Lance jumped and turned bright red. Keith hadn’t been able to make him turn that color since their second date when they went hiking and Keith told him exactly why he admired him so much. 

 

“Yes, I did.” Lance said. “I told you. It was in the rec room.” 

 

“You all left it sitting in the rec room for six months, and you decided to grab it on your way out, when we had what, ten dobashes to get everything you wanted?”

 

“Alright, maybe I grabbed it right after you left. Don’t look so smug.” 

 

Keith just smirked and adjusted the straps on his harness when the pilot warned them about take off. 

 

“Jackass.” Lance muttered, without affection. 

 

“You wouldn’t have it any other way.” 

 

“No, I wouldn’t.” 

 

It was a quick flight to orbit, and when they arrived in the main hanger there was a flurry of activity while final preparations were being made for the maiden voyage. Lance and Keith followed Reid off the cargo ship and quickly headed for the elevators. The Paladin’s quarters were now closer to the control room, like the Princess’. Pidge had also moved Coran to that level, and built a smaller kitchen and dining space for them. Once their extended crew was off ship, they wouldn’t need the huge main kitchen anymore. 

 

And if Florida had taught them anything, it was that they liked to be together. Being spread in different condos had been difficult to stumble on someone when you didn’t even realize you were looking for company. 

 

Instead of the barrak-like paladin rooms before, they had all been given larger personalized suites. Keith and Lance’s was slightly larger than the others to accommodate the two desks, two closets, and the shallow Korean-style bathing pool Lance had requested. Lance had already been in here a lot, decorating, but Keith had only visited on their initial tour. He had grabbed Lance’s hand at the sight of the huge window taking up an entire wall, revealing the stars. 

 

Keith entered their new home and smiled at the good work Lance had done. He tried to keep neutral colors. White sheets and a white quilt on the double bed. Grey couch with a small coffee table and squishy looking throw pillows. Two desks faced each other by the window - Lance’s was already set up but Keith’s only held a single framed photograph.

 

Keith dropped the duffle onto the couch and walked over to look at it. It was the photo Matt had taken of them during the first X-Wing test. Before the attack, before they were dating, before Lance fixed things with Hunk, before Keith pushed him out of the jet.

 

He’s sitting in the driver’s seat of a hover-car, leaning on the controls and smiling, red armour on but helmet off to show his hair is at least partially tied back. Lance is sitting in the window of the passenger side, feet in the car and elbows on the roof. His bayard is in riffle form and pointed skyward, and his grin is wide as ever.

 

And Keith is...suddenly overwhelmed. Because he knows this room. Or one very much like it. And he knows that photograph, because it’s his favorite. Because he’s been seeing this room and dreaming about it for two and a half years now. Because this is going to be his home. 

 

With Lance. 

 

He couldn’t change the future. He couldn’t stop that horrible moment on the beach. But...there were good moments ahead. And maybe, one day, Lance would think they were worth the pain they had to go through to get to them. 

 

“Corazon, what’s wrong? You don’t like it?” 

 

Keith ripped his eyes away from the photograph and met the gaze of the man who balanced him, opposed him, matched him totally and completely. 

 

“No.” Keith said softly. “I love it.” 

 

Lance smiled brightly. “Really?” 

 

“Really.”

 

Lance reached for him as Allura’s voice came in over the ship-wide comms. 

 

“Paladins, report to the Control Room. We’re ready for departure.”

 

Lance sighed. “Well, that’ll take time getting used to again.” 

 

Keith smirked and gently pushed him towards the door. “Duty calls, Sharpshooter.” 

 

They met Hunk in the hallway, who happily greeted both of them with hugs. They were all sad, to be leaving again, but their excitement was building. There was so much for them to learn and discover. So much to do. 

 

Sure, there were a lot of problems that needed their attention. Sendak, Haggar, God knew what else was waiting for their return. But their time on Earth had strengthened all of them in different ways, even if it took facing some bitter truths. 

 

They entered the control room, finding they were the last to arrive. Coran was already at his console, Allura behind him on her raised platform. Pidge was already in her green chair with her brother resting a hand on the top of it. She looked over and smiled widely as they entered. Shiro took up a position next to Coran to help monitor the many complicated aspects of the new ship. 

 

Keith, Lance and Hunk each found their own chairs, leaving the blue one empty for Allura. As they settled in, Lance turned to grin at Keith. 

 

“Hey, babe, tienes miedo?” 

 

Keith smiled. “Jamas.”

 

“Keith speaks Spanish now?” Hunk demanded as Krolia entered the room and stood at her son’s side. “Since when?”

 

“Great.” Pidge groaned. “Like they weren’t annoying enough, being able to read each other’s minds.” 

 

Keith looked up at his mother. “Ready?” 

 

She smiled. “You go and I’ll follow.”

 

Keith took a deep breath. “Alright, Allura. Let’s show off our new home.” 

 

~*~

 

The trip back to Olkari was relatively quick. Two weeks with the FTL. Enough time for everyone to settle in and discover kinks in the castle. Like how all the water taps had switched hot and cold. Or that the control sequences for the external lights for some reason opened the Red Hanger airlock. 

 

Pidge addressed each problem with a long string of expletives that rivaled Lance. Lance had developed quite the dirty mouth, which at first had Shiro grinding his teeth. He let it slide after Keith explained what he thought it was about - a tribute to his mother. Someone had to carry on her habit of swearing like a sailor when things got out of hand. 

 

Keith had to say he kind of liked it. 

 

Lance was doing so much better than before. He organized movie nights and coordinated between different groups on the ship. Sometimes he still held Keith a little too tight at night, like he was afraid he’d be ripped away, but Keith would be lying if he said he’d never done that either. 

 

It didn’t take long for the teledove to be installed, for Pidge to set her parents up in a nice treehouse on Olkari where they would be safe and able to work on new technology. The small group of human scientists and ambassadors would remain here as well, learning and sending notes back to Earth. The resistance fighters and Elites split off for their own headquarters, Matt giving everyone a tearful goodbye and promising to keep in touch. 

 

Krolia left them here as well, for New Altea to check in on Romelle. They didn’t want to risk the new ship in the quantum field, and Allura was needed here on Voltron, so they’d have to wait for Krolia to lead the Alteans out of the darkness. She promised to return as soon as possible.

 

And Voltron was back in the fight. Sometimes it felt as if they’d never left the long battles and heart-pounding missions. But then they’d come home and look at each other and see how much they’d all changed and grown. 

 

Pidge and the damage the asylum had done to her father, and her mother for that matter. The knowledge she had gained in designing the new castle. 

 

How close Hunk had been to losing his best friend because of a misunderstanding that had gotten way out of hand. How his own intellect had grown as he solved problems with Pidge. 

 

Shiro finally being allowed to rest, to settle into his new role away from the front line. Reforge his friendship with his own best friend, Matt. 

 

Lance growing into himself, maybe not exactly the man his family thought he would be but someone who far surpassed that. Someone who overcame his losses and wounds because he had people he cared about. 

 

And Keith finally had a home. A proper home, and the strangest family anyone could imagine.

 

~*~

 

Keith and Hunk had teamed up with Matt and gone on a intelligence-gathering mission that hadn’t really gone horribly wrong as much as it slowly slipped downhill. Small hiccups kept piling up to create one big one. They had managed to get their intel, but had to fight their way out. Luckily it was a pretty remote outpost, largely manned by drones, but still stressful. 

 

Running for their lives. Dodging plasma beams. The usual. 

 

Keith returned to find Lance still asleep, and he pressed a kiss on his forehead before heading for the shower and stripping off his flight suit. He tossed it into the hamper and missed, then stepped under the stream of water. At least Pidge managed to get the water pressure on this ship just right. 

 

His body hurt. Mainly from exhaustion, though he had been slightly electrocuted when Hunk tried to rig the airlock open and Keith accidentally brushed the frame. Maybe he should have gotten in the bath. 

 

He had never liked baths, but he had changed his mind after Lance had coaxed him into this one. It wasn’t as much a space for cleaning yourself as it was a space for soaking and unwinding. It helped that Lance kept a giant tea bag of herbs seeping in the water, making the water scented and even more relaxing. 

 

“Babe?” Lance’s sleepy voice called. “That you?” 

 

“No.” Keith called back. 

 

Lance grumbled something and moved closer to the bathroom. “How did it go?” 

 

“Fine.”

 

“Hm.” A yawn. “I’m going to eat.”

 

“Okay.”

 

Keith enjoyed the water a little longer before washing himself with quick efficiency and leaving the glass and metal chamber. He dried himself off and continued to rub a towel through his hair as he dug through his closet for clothes. It really was starting to get too long. Though the other day when he had idly suggested he was going to shave it off, Lance took it as a personal offence. 

 

“Seriously? You’re going to get rid of the mullet now? After all this time? After I accepted it into my home? After I figured out you like it when I pull on it?” 

 

“Lance!” Shiro barked from across the room.

 

“It’s not even a mullet anymore!” Keith groaned.

 

“Sorry Shiro.” Lance scowled at Keith. “I absolutely forbid it.”

 

He at least needed a trim. 

 

Keith dressed and dragged a brush through his hair and tied it up before going back into the bedroom. Lance had left the bed a mess, like always. When Keith bitched at him about it he protested that the open air killed the space-bedbugs. How he had ever made it in the rigid military atmosphere of the Garrison was beyond Keith. 

 

Keith noticed something out of place on his desk, and he frowned. He tried to keep the center of the workspace clear, but there was a white envelope on it. As he approached, he looked over the familiar framed photos. 

 

Lance’s desk held only three frames, which were all arranged to the side with their backs to the window so they looked out at the room. The finger painting Keith had done the first time he went to Lance’s house, a picture of himself with Hunk and Pidge in their Garrison uniforms, and a photo of his parents. The portraits Keith had done of his siblings were framed and resting on a shelf on the opposite wall. 

 

Keith had many photos, mainly because Lance kept giving them to him and he liked all of them so they all ended up on display. Pictures of Shiro and Pidge and a fairly ridiculous selfie of Lance and Krolia. But the picture of himself and Lance in the hover-jeep was his favorite. 

 

Keith frowned as he opened the loose flap of the envelope and freed a thick stack of photographs. He flipped through them. Some posed, some candid. He recognized moments here and there - sitting on the dock in Cuba, Rosa finger painting his body, he and Shiro at a party Hunk organized, him and his mother at the beach, himself and Veronica playing cards late one night while she smoked and waited for Luis to come home, Keith just waking up and seconds after throwing a pillow at him, a few mornings ago in their white sheets with a dopey smile on his face, looking determined in his armor as he stalked towards the camera - he definitely remembered that one, Lance had been laughing so hard he almost dropped the camera. 

 

Keith remembered something Shiro had said when he wasn’t sure if his suddenly realized feelings for Lance were returned.  _ The boy has enough photos of you to make a shrine. _

 

Keith noticed a short note in blue ballpoint pen under the envelope flap, exactly where it wouldn’t get lost and Keith would find it. 

 

_ Keith, _

_ We’ve both had our moments of doubt, so this is to show you exactly what I see when I say I love you.  _

_ -Lance _

 

Keith snorted quietly. Cheeseball. 

 

He flipped the envelope over and found another note.  

 

_ Let me stick around until you find your soulmate?  _

 

Keith found it hard to swallow. Speaking of doubts. He wanted to go back in time and break his own jaw before he could have told Lance about that. How much had that held Lance away from him?

 

He liked to think he and Lance ended up staying together, but he honestly didn’t know. There were none of the images of old age or children that Lance had initially asked him about. He didn’t know what battles were to come, and he had been fortunate enough to not see his own death. 

 

He did know that worrying about it wasn’t going to change anything, so they might as well enjoy what they did have. 

 

Keith put the photos down and rushed out of the room, heading down the hall and skidding into the private kitchen. 

 

“Lance here?” 

 

Shiro rose his eyebrows. “Did he break something again?” 

 

“Where is he?” 

 

“He took his breakfast to the rec room.” 

 

Keith turned and headed for the lift. 

 

“Don’t run!” 

 

Keith rolled his eyes and impatiently hit the button for the lift. Once he boarded, it took him down three levels to the floor with the large kitchen, dining room, library, and huge rec room. When Keith charged into the rec room, he found Lance sitting with the Holt siblings still half asleep. 

 

“You absolute idiot.” Keith growled at him. 

 

Lance’s eyes snapped open and he looked around. He looked slightly terrorized as Keith advanced. “Uhh…”

 

Keith grabbed his face and kissed him harshly. He tasted like his too-sweet coffee and flaky bits of croissant crumbs clung to his lips. Overall the kiss wasn’t pretty and even a little gross but Keith kissed him anyway. 

 

Matt shrieked and slapped a hand over his sister’s eyes. “Keith there are children present!” 

 

“Get off me, Matt!” Pidge growled, her eyes glued to her tablet as she tried to fight him off. 

 

Keith finally pulled away but kept a firm hand on his chin. Lance looked a little dazed. 

 

“I’m not leaving, do you understand?” Keith said, trying to soften his voice. “Never again.”

 

“Uh…”   
  


Keith released him and sat next to him on the couch, tipping his head back. “Please tell me there’s coffee down here that isn’t contaminated with milk and sugar.” 

 

Lance’s expression turned from one of shock to irritation. He tried to smack Keith in the stomach, but Keith lazily caught his hand. 

 

“Give me a heart attack at this hour.” Lance grumbled. “I thought you found...nevermind.” 

 

“Found what?” 

 

“Nothing, babe. Here have some coffee.” 

 

“Lance.” 

 

“Keef.”

 

Keith scowled at his dimples and tried to swipe a pastry off his plate, but Lance moved it out of reach at the last second. Matt snorted at their antics and sipped his own coffee while he looked at the movie he and Lance were watching. Keith settled in at Lance’s side and took a few sips of coffee before letting his head drop and dozing off. He had a long night behind him. 

 

And he was home.

 

~*~

 

_**I'm sure that we could find something for you to do onstage,** _

_**Maybe shake a tambourine, or when I sing, you sing harmonies.** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, one more chapter. It'll tie up some of the memories and lighten the mood.
> 
> Is everyone else scared? I'm so scared. I was on Tumblr reading non-spoiler reviews last night. I'm trying not to get my hopes up.
> 
> Add on note: Also, I'm so lame. I have to work a double on Friday so I calculated how early I have to wake up on Saturday to watch the whole season before my shift on Saturday night, with time to cry and shower.
> 
> It does not look good, kids


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance just wants to get married. Is that too much to ask for?
> 
> Yes.

**Epilogue**

 

“I can’t believe this!” Lance spat. 

He and Keith spun, back to back, and Keith drew his sword in a long arc. “Lance - “ 

“No. Screw you. We’re here because you insisted. This stress beacon was in a completely different sector!  _ But they need our help, Lance!  _ Well, here we are, getting shot at on our wedding day for the third time. Are you happy?” 

Keith groaned. “We’re literally doing our job. It’s not my fault you keep picking wedding dates that coincide with Galra attacks.”

Lance grabbed Keith by the arm and pulled him back, a laser burn appearing on the wall right where Keith’s head had been. Lance barely had to look as he turned and shot at the Galra soldier. 

“I don’t understand why you’re so afraid of this.”

“I’m not afraid of it! I just think you’re making a big deal out of us promising to die together when we’re doing a pretty good job at that without a ceremony.” Keith charged up the hallway, slashing off a hand that reached for him. “I mean, really, what do you want from me?”

“What I  _ want _ , Keef, is to embarrass the crap out of you infront of all our friends by telling them all exactly how much I love you.” 

Pidge’s annoyed tones interrupted. “You already do that on a daily basis.” 

“Stay out of it, Pidge.” Keith and Lance snapped at the same time. 

Keith didn’t know where the idea had come from. He just sort of woke up one morning and realized Lance was sort of...it for him. Lance was barely awake, trying to brush his teeth and clean overnight moisturizer off his face. He did not look cute. 

Keith told him that, and he just kind of...ran with it. 

Not that Keith minded. He did want this. It was just that every time they had a day picked out, and everything ready, some emergency happened. And Lance was getting more frustrated each time. 

Third time’s the charm for Lance to snap, apparently. 

Keith barely cared about a ceremony, or the party Lance was planning for that matter. The ceremony was Altean anyway, and would be ministered by Coran. Because of course Coran was ordained - was there anything he couldn’t do? He just wanted to spend the rest of whatever time he had with the idiot, and wanted him to understand that. But it was important to Lance, this ‘lifemate binding’ ceremony, as Coran was calling it. 

Not for the first time, the Cuban had Keith in way over his head. 

Lance shot the access panel next to the door, more out of frustration than any actual need to do it - Pidge had cracked the security wide open. He charged through the open door and lay out covering fire as Keith darted ahead of him. 

“I mean seriously. I’m not trying to be a bridezilla, but - “ 

“Nobody thinks that, Buddy.” Hunk soothed. “But maybe you and Keith should have this conversation, you know, privately. Not on the coms. In the middle of a rescue mission.” 

“What’s a bridezilla?” Allura asked curiously. 

“It’s when a woman goes nuts before her wedding day.” 

“Basically, what Lance is doing.” 

“Basically.” Keith agreed. 

Lance gasped. “Babe! Don’t agree with them!”

“Alright Pidge, we’re at the prison cells.” Keith said, shooting Lance a smirk. “You ready?” 

“Open sesame.” 

The door whooshed open, and Lance charged in. “Don’t worry, Voltron is here to - uh…”

All the cells were open and empty. A small blue box sat in the middle of the floor. Distress beacon. 

Keith whipped around. “Everyone out! It’s a trap!” 

“Why can’t just one DAMN THING go smoothly?” Lance shouted. 

“What’s wrong?” Shiro’s worried tones burst over the comms. 

“The prisoners have already been moved.” Keith said. “We were set up.” 

“Then why are they fighting so hard?” 

“Maybe there’s something else valuable here.”

Lance marched past his fiance, his bayard shifting into the broadsword so he could lash out and slice the head off an approaching automated sentry. 

“Or maybe the universe just wants to ruin my FUCKING WEDDING!”

Keith sighed and followed him. “Pidge, get any intel you can and get out. We’re here, let’s not waste the opportunity. Hunk, are you alright to provide cover?”

“Yeah, I can do that.” 

“Allura, get back to your Lion and help provide air support with Krolia until we can get out of here.” 

“On my way.” 

“Lance and I are in pretty deep, it might take some time to - Lance! Get down!”

Keith shoved him out of the way and grunted as a blast clipped him in the shoulder. He grunted and fell against the other paladin, holding the point in his shoulder where the laser burned a hole clean through him. Another shot burnt his ankle.

“Keith!” 

“What’s wrong?” 

“He’s hit. Fuck!” 

Lance rolled out from under Keith and crouched protectively over him, releasing a volley of shots at the line of automated sentires. Keith tried to move his arm and couldn’t, pain ripping through him. The effort opened the burnt edges of the wound, letting blood flow. 

Keith found himself being peeled off the ground. Lance pulled him over his shoulder, bayard returning to blaster form. 

“Activate your shield to cover us.” 

Keith did as directed and tried to hold his arm still as Lance half dragged him along. 

“There is literally a part in out wedding ceremony about how we won’t die for each other, because one without the other is death anyway, and here we are, on our third wedding day, and you’re dying.”

“Lance, I’m really trying to focus on not bleeding out, okay?”

There were more shots, but Keith was starting to get light headed. He lashed out with his bayard with his good arm, but he couldn’t run - hell he could barely walk. Lance saw a hover-cart and unceremoniously dumped Keith onto it, then jumped aboard himself. He pushed the gears into overdrive, managing to pilot the turns in the hallway and keep both of them on board. Keith tried to swipe at anything that didn’t get out their way, but it made him feel...heavy. 

“Keep it together, Keith, we’re almost out.” 

“Can he fly his Lion?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah.” Keith said. “I can.” 

“Shiro, he had a hole in his shoulder the size of a golf ball!”

“They can’t tow Black back with the automated cannons firing that them!”

Keith almost flew off the cart as Lance banked a little too hard and they burst into the hanger. Keith rolled off the platform and stumbled towards the Black Lion. 

“Keith…”

“Go, Lance. Get out of here!” 

“Stubborn asshole.” Lance grumbled, sprinting towards Red. “Hunk! Pidge! Are you guys okay?” 

“Yeah, we’re already taking off.” 

“We’re right behind - “ 

More shots sweeping across the room. Lance dove out of the way, and Keith stumbled and wove into the Lion’s mouth. He felt another shot hit the back of his armour before the jaws closed behind him. 

“Keith, you okay?” Shiro asked.

“Yeah.” Keith grunted, falling into his chair. There was no way to tell how much blood there was because of the black flight suit, but he was dizzy. Not a good sign. Black’s lights soothed him as he reached for the controls. 

“I’m taking out as many of the cannons as I can for you.” Allura called. “We’ll cover you, Keith. Just get out of there!” 

The controls, which were already clunky, felt so heavy. Did this really happen this fast? When was the last time he had actually gotten shot? He couldn’t remember. Black growled in the back of his mind as they shot out into the vacuum, Lance racing alongside him in Red. 

“Keep it together, Keith.” Lance said. “We’re almost home - damn it!” 

Red took a blast from one of the cannons and Lance was knocked to the side. 

“Lance!” 

“Go! We’re right behind you! Coran, blow that ship to hell!” 

“Targeting now.” came the grim reply. 

Keith felt his control of Black slipping away as he flew closer and closer to the ship. He crashed into Black’s hanger and was knocked out of his chair as he huge robot sprawled on the metal floor. Keith tried to get up and the edges of his vision went back. 

Blood dripped on the floor. 

“Keith! Are you okay?” Coran demanded. 

“Yeah. Just...a little cold.” 

“Keith, stay awake.” Shiro urged. “We’re on our way.”

The hanger shook and through Black’s eyes, Keith could make out the hulking mass of Red. Blue and white dripped from the mouth like a drop of water. He rolled onto his back and groaned. 

“Don’t close your eyes.”

White light spilled into the cockpit, and Lance was climbing in inspite of the odd angle the head of the Lion rested in. Shock flooded his face. 

“Oh, God, Shiro, there’s blood everywhere.” 

“Coran, get a healing pod ready. Lance, I’m on my way. Don’t let him go into shock!” 

Lance pulled him up and towards the light. Keith moaned when his shoulder his the doorframe. 

“Just making sure you’re still alive, Samurai.” 

“Lance...Lance…”

“Yeah, I’m here, come on, Shiro’s on his way.” 

“I want you to - “

“No!” Lance dug his fingers into his ribs as he pulled him. Pain bursting through the numb. When did it go numb? His hands were cold. He couldn’t move them. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence, Kogane, I’ll kill you myself!” 

“Someone has to lead and - “

“No! We are getting out of this, you hear me?” Lance was shouting in his ear, but it sounded so distant. “You are going to walk away from this, and we’re going to have such a beautiful space wedding that even Shiro will cry!” 

“Didn’t want a wedding.” Keith mumbled. “Just...wanted you.” 

“Don’t...don’t close your eyes, asshole! Don’t even think about it, you hear me? Shiro! Help!”

He was being lifted now, his head lolling back. Lance looked so scared, even upside down. 

“Keith, it’s going to be okay.” 

Shiro sounded far away, too. And it was cold. Why was the ship so cold? The light changed as they entered the lift.

“Keith, come on, stay with us.” 

They burst into the medical bay. Shiro dispensed him onto the examination table. 

“Get his armour off!” Coran barked. He sounded so stern. “Lance, keep him awake! The pod is almost ready.” 

Lance’s face swam in front of him. For a second, he morphed into Veronica. The cool facade she kept in the face of her brothers falling apart around her. It was the same as Lance’s calm when he was backed into a corner. 

“Do you remember our first date?” Lance asked.

There were tugs on his body as Shiro pulled his armor off piece by piece. 

“Yeah.” Keith breathed. 

“Tell me about it.” 

“You...you got a haircut.” 

“Yeah.” Lance smiled. “You didn’t say anything about it.”

“I...I liked it.” 

“I know.” 

“We ate ice cream...you sang…and...we went dancing.”

“That’s right. You didn’t want to.”

“But you were so…” Keith closed his eyes. “Dangerous.” 

“Keep your eyes open, Keith. Look at me. Don’t go into shock. You have to finish the story.” 

Keith dragged his eyelids open again. He groaned as Shiro lifted his torso to pull his flight suit down. 

“What happened then?” 

“We...we were mugged. You laughed.”

“It was funny.” 

“I was mad. It...it ruined our normal date.” 

“Really? I thought it was the most normal thing to ever happen to us.” Lance’s grin was overpowering. “I mean, we were a gay, interracial couple holding hands in a dark alley in Cuba. We were practically asking for it.”

Shiro was stuffing him into one of the healing suits that would help hold his insides in. did it do anything else? Pidge was here, maybe he should ask. 

“Finish the story.” 

“We won. And...I kissed you outside your house. Your mom yelled at you.” 

“Yeah. She was pretty pissed.” 

“She made me stay on the couch and...you...took me to your room.” 

“Pod’s ready!” Coran announced.

“Oh, thank God.” Pidge moaned. “My poor virgin ears do not need to hear about their first night together.” 

“That wasn’t their first night together.” Shiro mumbled, lifting Keith. “Alright, Keith. Everything’s going to be fine.” 

Keith was leaned against a slight incline, and he heard a hiss. Lance’s eyes pierced him through the glass. 

Then nothing.

~*~

Keith dragged his eyes open and groaned as he pitched forward. A small but sturdy frame caught him and his vision was obscured by caramel hair. 

“Hey, it’s alright. You’re alive.” 

“Alive hurts.” 

“That’s just the stasis cramps. You’ll be fine once the blood starts flowing properly. But sit for now.” 

He was gently pushed back into a chair, and he rubbed his eyes and pushed hair out of his face. Pidge gave him a once-over before looking at a tablet of his vitals. 

“Why isn’t my over-dramatic fiance guarding my stasis-pod?” 

“He was here, but he was over-dramatically muttering non-stop so I kicked him out. I don’t know how you stand it.”

“I have ways of shutting him up.” 

“Gross.”

Keith smirked, then realized something and grimaced. “How mad is he?” 

“If I were you, I’d stay in stasis for at least another quintet.”

As if to accentuate the point, an annoyed voice floated in from the hallway. “Is that gorgeous asshole up yet?”

Pidge looked at Keith, who called back, “No!” 

Lance walked in scowling, stomping a little bit. Pouting. Wearing one of Keith’s insufferable flannels. Pidge bolted out of the room, not wanting to see whatever happened next. 

“You okay?” 

Keith reached over and massaged his shoulder. It was a little sore. “Yeah, I’ll be fine.” 

“Good.” 

Keith sighed. “What’s wrong?” 

“Nothing.” 

“Lance.” 

“Just...you were hurt. And I thought...you never get hurt. And it was my fault.” 

“It wasn’t your fault.” 

“I wasn’t paying attention.” 

“Because of the wedding.” 

Lance looked away. “Yeah.” 

“Lance, you have got to calm down about this. We’ve only been together a year and - “

“So you don’t want this?” 

“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” 

Krolia walked in and Keith stopped talking. Krolia immediately crossed the room to where Keith was sitting and cupped his cheek. 

“Are you alright?” 

“Yeah.” Keith rotated his arm again. “Just a little stiff.” 

“Sorry I couldn’t be back before you went in. Allura and I were having trouble with the main cannon.” 

“It’s alright. Did we find out what happened?” 

Lance turned and left the room, and Keith slumped in his seat as Krolia briefed him. 

“It wasn’t a trap. Just some bad luck. The prisoners did activate the distress beacon, but they had been moved before we could get there. It must have happened quickly, because they left the signal behind. Shiro is coordinating with the Blade now. They’re closer to the planet they were taken to.” 

“Good.” 

“Kolivan sends his regrets about your...ah...third life mate ceremony.” 

Keith groaned. 

“What’s wrong?” 

“I just don’t understand what Lance wants from me.” 

Krolia sat next to her son and sighed. 

“Did you and Dad…”

Krolia gave a short laugh. “I’m a six foot purple woman with claws, Keith. I couldn’t go to the grocery store when we ran out of food, let alone my own life mate ceremony. He wanted to, though.” 

Keith rubbed his forehead. 

“Have you tried asking him?” 

“Yes.” 

She fixed him with a ‘knowing mother’ look. She have gotten pretty good at them. 

“Not really.” 

“Maybe you should.” She rested a hand on his shoulder and squeezed gently, then stood. “You should go take a bath. I’m told it helps get your circulation going after the healing pod.” 

Sounded like something Lance had included in his essay titled, “Why I Should Have a Day-Spa in My Room.” Pidge had showed Keith a copy. It made him laugh for half a varga. 

Keith sighed as she left, then stood himself. Make Lance be honest about something that was obviously upsetting him and making him feel insecure? Sure. Why didn’t he just bring peace to the universe and make it so Voltron was never needed again while he was at it?  

Luckily he didn’t see anyone on his way to his room, but Lance wasn’t there once he arrived. Keith still didn’t feel great, and didn’t want to wander the whole ship looking for him. 

He pulled off the healing suit and looked at himself in the mirror. There was a shiny circle of scar tissue on his shoulder. No wonder it was stiff. The muscle was regrown and reconnected, with training it would be as good as new. He sighed and got into the water, letting his body relax and his head tip back on the sharp stone lip. . 

Just ask him. Sure.

Keith didn’t know how long he was sitting there, he might have even dozed off, before someone was gently lifting his head and sliding a towel under it. Keith opened his eyes to see Lance leaning over him. 

“You’re going to hurt your neck.” 

Keith reached up and grabbed his wrist, and he met his eyes. He smiled slightly. 

“How are you feeling?” 

“Stiff.” 

“Hmm.” Lance sat with his legs dangling in the water on either side of Keith’s shoulders. He ran his fingers through Keith’s hair. “It’ll pass.”

“So they say. Are you alright?” 

“Yeah, I didn’t get hit.” 

“Not what I meant.” 

Lance didn’t say anything. Keith decided he had sat in the water long enough and pulled away. He got out of the bath and wrapped a towel around his waist before going back into the room and sitting on the couch. Lance followed him in and headed for the door. 

“Well, I’m going to - “ 

“Can we talk?” 

“We talk all the time.” 

“Lance, just...sit. Please.” 

Lance slowly walked over and sat on the opposite end of the couch. 

Keith sighed. “I’m sorry. I...someone else could have done that mission.”

Lance scowled at him. “I don’t care about the wedding.” 

“Lance, you’re a shitty liar.” 

“Okay, fine, I do, but you got hurt. So, I don’t care anymore.” 

“I’m fine. We have to talk about this.” 

“Well, there’s nothing to talk about. Obviously, the universe doesn’t want this to happen. I’m the only one who does. So, back to normal life, right?” 

“It’s not that I don’t want this - “ 

“Bullshit, Keith. You just admitted that we didn’t have to go on that mission.”

“So you do care.”

“Of course I fucking care, Keith! I keep putting all this work into this, and you have no idea how hard it was to convince Allura that we’d need a few days off afterwards! And it keeps getting ruined! Of course I’m pissed! And now, I have to deal with telling Veronica it’s delayed again. Do you know how excited Sandy has been? Her entire second grade class knows about it! She has a goddamn dress picked out for when they watch it!”

Keith was slightly taken aback. Lance looked away. 

“Lance.” Keith half groaned, half prayed. “It’s not that I don’t want to. You know that I love you. You’re it for me. You’re all I’ll ever want or need.”

Lance still wasn’t looking at him, but there was the slightest hint of red on his cheeks.

“But I just...I don’t understand why you’re so stuck on this...ceremony that doesn’t belong the either of our species and even on Earth...it’s archaic and look at our life. We live in a large room on a giant spaceship surrounded by our closest friends. We don’t need to do this.”

Lance abruptly got up and crossed to his desk and rummaged around in a drawer, then came back when he found what he was looking for. He sat on the couch and held out a purple felt bag. The one his sister had given him when they left.

“Open it.”

Keith took the bag and carefully untied the draw strings, then shook out a black jewelry box. Inside that were two simple gold wedding rings.

“The day after you came to my house for the first time, Mama ran out and bought those for us.” Lance’s voice was tight. “Vero said she was so sure...I hadn’t even admitted to anyone how I felt about you but she just knew. She was worried that there weren’t proper jewelers in space.”

Keith wanted to laugh, but it probably would have come out as a sob.

“I love you, Keith. More than you will ever know. I don’t think we need to be married to prove that to anyone either. It might be different if we had benefits and bank accounts. But...it would have been important to them.”

Keith was honestly speechless. He had always known Rubina liked him. But this was...a bit much. 

“The first day?” Keith asked.

“Yeah. She saw you shuffling awkwardly around her house and decided I’d be cursed with your pretty face for eternity.”

Keith smiled slightly. “Sounds about right.” 

Lance sat back down on the couch, this time closer to Keith. “I’m sorry I got a little ahead of myself. And you’re right about the ceremony. But the Altean one is the only option.” 

“I honestly was convinced you were part Altean and just not telling me.”

Lance nodded glumly. “Well, not like the rest of our lives make sense.” 

“You make sense.” 

Lance snorted and leaned against him. “You’re a shitty liar, Kogane.” He tangled their fingers together. “Normal relationship, right?” 

“Yeah. Normal relationship.” 

Lance sighed and let his eyes close. “Just...don’t scare me like that again, okay? I thought...I really thought that - “

“Yeah. I know.” Keith turned and kissed the top of his head. “Hey, Lance?”

“Mmm?”

“I want to do this properly.”

“Do what?” 

“You don’t know how to make a bed, and you’re not nearly as cute as you think you are. Especially when you’re asleep.” Keith considered. “You’re loud, obnoxious, and sometimes too genuine. But if an Altean lifemate ceremony is what you really want, I suppose that’s the least I could do after almost dying on you.”

Lance looked up. “Is that your idea of a proposal?” 

“Well, it’s better than the last one!”

“The last one didn’t even really happen!” 

Keith rolled his eyes. “I’m trying, damn it.”

Lance smiled. “I know, and it’s adorable.” 

“Why do you have this need to get under my skin?” 

“Because. Just because we’re getting married doesn’t mean we aren’t still rivals.” Lance craned his neck to kiss his boyfriend. “I swear to God, though, if wedding number four doesn’t work out, you’re planning number five.” 

“Fine.”

Number four better not be interrupted. Keith did not know how to plan a wedding. 

~*~

Keith got out of bed and walked through the house, carefully stepping around the toys that had been left all over the floor of the living room. The light was on in the kitchen, and when Keith walked in he found Rubina sitting at the table with a yellow legal pad. 

“Hello, Keith.” she smiled at him. “Can’t sleep?” 

Keith shook his head. “Just needed some water...why are you awake?” 

“Carlos had to work late. I’m just waiting for him.” 

Keith got some water from the fridge. Rubina continued writing on her legal pad. 

“Hey, Rubina?” 

“Mhmm?” 

Keith had an overwhelming urge to thank her. 

“Aaaaaaahhhhhrrrrrrggggggg!”

Keith’s eyes snapped open and he was almost instantly smacked in the nose. He swore and sat up, then reached to pin Lance’s flailing arms to his sides. 

“Lance! Lance! Wake up!” 

Lance’s blue eyes snapped open. He looked panicked. Afraid. He was breathing heavily. Honestly, no matter how many times this happened, it was still strange to Keith. He had watched this man take down fleets without even flinching. Backed into corners armed with only his mouth and fists to defend himself. 

Fear was only in his vocabulary at night. 

“It’s alright.” Keith whispered. “Hey, it’s okay.”

Keith released his arms and he instantly snaked them around his chest and pulled him close, hot breath rolling over his shoulder. 

“Sorry.” he said thickly. 

“It’s okay.” Keith pulled away, rolling onto his side. Lance’s gaze was on the circular scar on Keith’s shoulder. “I’m here, alright? Not leaving.” 

Lance held up his hand. The gold band glinted in the half light. “Bit late for that now. Something tells me a Space-Divorce is harder to obtain than a Space-Wedding.” 

Keith smiled slightly. “You’re probably right.”

They settled back in to fall asleep, Keith already dreaming of the marmalade sky he’d see in the morning.

 

~*~

 

**_I want to contribute to the chaos,_ **

**_I don't want to watch and then complain._ **

**_Cause I am through finding blame,_ **

**_That is a decision I have made._ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know I probably could have left it at Chapter 11, but I had this great head-cannon about their wedding getting interrupted and I had to run with it. Also, wanted to cheer everyone up before tomorrow. :)
> 
> Thank you so much to everyone for all the love, kudos, comments and general support. It really means so much. Especially because I got into this mess because I got bored one day and I had seen artwork on tumblr so I turn on my Netflix like an idiot and thought, "Hey, this'll be great background noise." Needless to say, I got emotionally invested, and now my happiness depends on a fictional relationship between an angry red boy and a silly blue boy that will probably never happen. 
> 
> On that note, I need to fix my apartment so I don't break anything if I start throwing things tomorrow. And hydrate for when I cry.
> 
> Toodles.

**Author's Note:**

> So. Fun? Yes? No?
> 
> Don't hate me for taking Romelle out of the equation. There's just so many characters and it's kind of hard to keep track and give everyone individual voices - especially when we don't really know her yet.
> 
> Title and lyrics at the bottom are from "Twin Sized Mattress" by The Front Bottoms.


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